Published in the Nov. 12-25, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Cindy Adams

Cindy Adams

Cindy Adams

When Guglielmo Winery was established in 1925, it became a tradition for friends to make the then-long journey from San Francisco, where the Guglielmo’s had lived, to Morgan Hill on a regular basis to purchase wine. Because of the length of the journey, this was an all-day round trip. To fortify their friends while they filled their jugs with Emilio’s wine, family members cooked pots of pasta and loaves of bread and served this under the trees which grow in the current courtyard area.

This wonderful tradition was resurrected in May 2003 when Guglielmo Winery introduced Cork Equity No. 1. Now called “Bottle Your Own,” this quarterly event is one of the winery’s most fun and well-attended events.

Folks come with their own clean wine bottles, or purchase a new bottle for $1, then fill it with Guglielmo’s proprietary red blend, put together from Private Reserve quality wines just for that particular bottling, for $6 per bottle. This fun event is held four times a year — in February, May, August and November. During the last bottling, held Nov. 1, 24 barrels of wine were bottled — that’s 7,200 bottles!

In addition to a great deal on great wine, the winery also supplies grilled sausages, garlic bread and other goodies as sustenance to our hungry bottlers, just like Emilio and Emilia Guglielmo did so many years ago. Plan now to attend Bottle Your Own No. 47 tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21.

Another wonderful tradition that was started by the Guglielmo family several years ago is the Annual “Christmas at the Winery” event.

What began in 1988 in the winery garage with a few gourmet baskets, a carafe full of hot mulled wine and some Italian meats and cheeses, has become a month-long extravaganza of shopping, food and wine tasting (including that hot mulled wine!), performances by local musicians and lots of good cheer. The 26th Annual Christmas at the Winery will open to the public at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 1 at 10. Guglielmo’s Wine Group Members will have a special Preview Day Sunday, Nov. 30.

On the first two weekends of December, the 6th and 7th and also the 13th and 14th, there will be a $10 admission fee per person, which includes wine tasting, food samples, and enjoyment of live musicians.

During the weekdays, from Dec. 1 to 24, crowds are much lighter and you can move around easier in our gift area. There is no admission fee on weekdays but there will be the usual $5 fee for wine tasting. Enjoy all of your Christmas shopping under one roof with a vast array of gifts, home décor items, holiday decorations and ornaments to fit every budget.

This lovely event is also a way for the Guglielmo Family to say “thank you” to their loyal customers, new and old. All three Guglielmo brothers (George, Gene and Gary) and their families are on hand during the weekends to answer questions and tell you about the wines and the history of the winery and their family. Visit Guglielmo Winery during the month of December and join in the family celebration!

Cindy Adams, CS, CSW, is the director of retail operations at Guglielmo Winery.