Gilroy
– From his doorstep off Hecker Pass Highway, Jerry Bottorff has
seen the ranches die out, the farms slowly fade from booming South
County. But the vineyards have multiplied, transforming this
winding, woodsy road into an unlikely tourist destination.
Gilroy – From his doorstep off Hecker Pass Highway, Jerry Bottorff has seen the ranches die out, the farms slowly fade from booming South County. But the vineyards have multiplied, transforming this winding, woodsy road into an unlikely tourist destination.
“Six or seven years ago, it got real noticeable,” he said. “I’d give people directions to my house, and they’d say, ‘Oh – out near all the wineries?’ ”
To wine snobs, it’s no Napa Valley. To tourists, Gilroy conjures up garlic, not Champagne or cabernet.
When Fernwood Cellars’ Matt Oetinger talks up his wines, he’s loath to name the Garlic Capital, regretfully remembered as “jug wine territory” by those who toured it in the 1980s. Silicon Valley exiles have snapped up property in Gilroy, experimenting with new technologies and techniques on South County soil. At the same time, the old-school artisan wines have persisted. Today, though the Santa Clara Valley is among California’s oldest grape-growing regions, its fledgling vineyards are still grappling for recognition – a paradox that Cheryl Durzy, vice president of sales and marketing at Clos La Chance in San Martin, struggles to express.
“It’s a very old wine-growing region – it was here before Napa,” she said at first. A minute later, she added, “It’s a younger region. It’s just coming into its own now, really.”
When wines compete, South County vintages hold their own against the big names from Monterey and Sonoma: Two weeks ago, a smattering of local wines took honors at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, a blind tasting that pits thousands of wines against the palates of 55 judges. Among vintners, it’s serious street cred, says Tim Slater, owner of Sarah’s Vineyard, and it means “something’s going right.
“Anybody can host a wine tasting, so you don’t want to be too proud of getting a Blue Ribbon from Joe Blow’s Wine Company,” Slater said, “but this is a big deal.”
“It shows pretty clearly that there are wineries that are doing a bang-up job,” added Oetinger, “and can compete on a national level.”
Sarah’s Vineyard is spangled with the awards from this year’s Chronicle competition: four gold medals, three silvers and a bronze. Across South County, plaques are hung proudly at Fernwood Cellars, Fortino Winery, Martin Ranch, Mann Cellars and Clos La Chance. For area vintners, it looks like a turning point, says Jane Howard, executive director of the Gilroy Visitors Bureau – and it’s long overdue.
Four years ago, the Santa Clara Valley Wine Growers’ Association went bankrupt, scattering efforts to market local wines. South County wines are tough to brand anyhow, said Oetinger. The area’s grab-bag of microclimates, which nurture different types of grapes, means there’s no distinctive South County wine, no signature syrah or chardonnay to call its own.
“Take Lodi,” Oetinger explains. “Farmers and winemakers got together and said, ‘What can we make better than anybody?’ They discovered the zinfandel was special. Now, lo and behold: Lodi Zin. When you can point your finger at one region and one varietal, that gives you identity.”
Others worry that South County’s skyrocketing land values could gut the industry, by tempting vintners to trade vineyards for real estate. Mike Mann, owner of Mann Cellars, is leasing space at a winery to custom-crush his grapes; he’s still seeking an affordable building in Gilroy. Alex Larson, co-owner of Rapazzini Winery – perhaps Gilroy’s best-known vineyard, due to its location off U.S. 101 – said Rapazzini sold one parcel for nearly $1 million an acre.
“It’s a shame,” said Bottorff, the Hecker Pass Highway resident and a lifelong Gilroy resident, scanning the vines on the horizon. And he’s not just talking about vineyards. “I’m 43 years old, and I can’t afford to buy a house here.”
On the upside, said Slater, pricey property means wines have got to be good to survive. You can’t make money off of cheap wine here, he said, “and you can’t sell expensive wine, if it’s not good.” And Oetinger adds that the high-rolling residents who can afford Gilroy’s higher-end housing can also shell out for higher-end wines, expanding wineries’ clientele.
New marketing efforts are coaxing more visitors to South County vineyards. Last fall, the Gilroy Visitors Bureau posted a Gilroy wineries page; Hecker Pass Wineries issued a wineries map, linking 13 nearby vineyards. Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, a new organization in its infancy, hosted a Passport Weekend, guiding visitors through multiple tasting rooms, Valley Magazine plans to publish an article on the South County wine trail, and regional vineyards say they’re proud of the area’s low-key wineries.
“It’s not Napa Valley – and people like that,” said Slater of Sarah’s Vineyards. “It’s homey. Our tasting room is a barn” – and the vineyard was named for a goat, a ghost, or a neighbor. No one is sure which. As he strolls alongside seven new acres of pinot noir vines, Slater chats about his wine’s “yumminess.”
“You’re likely to meet the winemaker or the owner during your trip,” said Larson, “because they’re owned and operated by local people.”
Even the area’s garlic-scented notoriety is being embraced, instead of avoided. It’s farming, either way, says Durzy, and who says garlic doesn’t go with wine – or in it? Garlic-flavored wine, the novelty sold by Rapazzini to amused tourists, embarrasses some South County vintners, who’d rather distance themselves from the pungent bulb. Even Larson groans for a moment, when asked about his winery’s weird vintage, before arguing its merits.
“More people need to embrace it,” Larson insists. “Gourmet wines and gourmet foods complement each other. Pair the two, and they’re wonderful … People buy it as a joke and end up buying cases of it, because it’s so wonderful.”
To the wine industry’s bigwigs, South County might be just that: a bit of a joke. But to local fans and farther-flung aficionados, it’s on the cusp of wonderful.
– To see a list of all winners, go to winejudging.com
