Effort to create a ‘wine trail’ overcomes roadblocks
Published in the Jan. 22, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo courtesy Jon Hatakeyama
Kevin Maitski, policy aide for Supervisor Mike Wasserman, shows conceptual directional signs.
The South Valley region is taking another step to highlighting its bountiful wine industry for tourism as signs guiding visitors to Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy wineries will some time this year be placed on Watsonville Road by Santa Clara County. In November, the county board of supervisors passed changes in ordinances so that signs leading to wineries can be placed on the rural road.
The effort to create a “wine trail” for the region began at a meeting at Sycamore Creek Vineyards Aug. 17, 2012 where community leaders met to discuss promoting the more than 20 wineries in the South Valley.
The South County Wine Trail Formation Committee was formed to address how to encourage visitors to discover the wines, said Jon Hatakeyama, one of the founding members of the group.
Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate, Gilroy Mayor Don Gage and Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman played leadership roles in making the idea a reality, he said.
“With major roadblocks overcome, the South County Wine Trail Formation Committee will concentrate on signage design, sign locations as well as other details necessary to make this concept into reality in 2014,” he said. “The economic benefit will be welcomed by all in South County.”
Wasserman said he worked with the committee and other groups in the region to allow for the signage to promote local small businesses.
The Wineries Association of Santa Clara Valley has long wanted to set up a wine trail, but have run into issues with county sign restrictions, he said.
“I strongly believe in promoting our local assets and last year I was successful in advocating for changes in county ordinances that reduce bureaucratic hurdles and regulatory obstacles impacting businesses,” he said. “One of the winery owners remarked to me that almost every day someone tells him ‘I have been living in this community for years and I never knew you were out here.’ Working with our County Roads and Airports Department, we were able to propose an update to our sign regulations to allow for the safe placement of signs along our county roads, while accommodating the efforts of our local wineries to identify their businesses.”
