Winery produces Cabernet and Merlot, plus a blended varietal mixing the two
Published in the May 14-27 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo by Marty Cheek
Claude Solanas displays a Cabernet and a Merlot in his Paradise Valley vineyard.
When Claude Solanas retired from working 30 years at General Electric in San Jose, he found he needed to stay active and productive with his life. He knew that the Paradise Valley region of Morgan Hill on the west side of El Toro mountain where his home was located had once been a prime location for growing wine grapes. The thought came to him that perhaps it was time to bring back the wine-making tradition to the valley.
“I retired in 2001 and, you know, you can’t just go cold turkey,” he said describing how he started Paradise Valley Vineyard. “I had a friend who is a successful grower at Camel Hill Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We got to talking and he put the bug in my ear for a winery. He offered help and advice. He gave me the essence of what I needed.”
Claude’s wife Evelyn Solanas’s reaction when he suggested they start making wine wasn’t totally enthusiastic at first, he recalls. “She wasn’t really behind that idea initially,” he said. “But now she’s out there helping me. We still do everything together.”
The couple knocked down 25 aged walnut trees and planted grapes on a three-quarter piece of land behind their home just off Oak Glen Avenue. Paradise Valley Vineyard grows enough estate grapes to produce 200 cases of red wine annually. The Solanas focus exclusively on Cabernet and Merlot because it fits the climate of the valley. They also produce a blended wine mixing the two varietals. Their winemaker has been Santa Cruz Mountains-based Michael Walters since the winery’s first vintage came out.
“My goal is to grow the best quality of grape that I can grow,” Claude said. “We picked these two varietals because the hot days in this locale really match up with Merlot and Cab. We decided to let the grape speak for the wine, let the true flavor of the terroir here represent itself in the wine.”
Claude feels that the story of each wine year is stored in the bottles they produce. Along with other influences, the weather of the grape growing season impacts the quality of the production, he said.
Paradise Valley can often be five degrees warmer in summer, and seven degrees colder in the winter than the community of Morgan Hill on the other side of El Toro. Fog also influences the fruit growing on the vine for the wine.
“That helps and hurts,” he said. “Sometimes in the summer, we get the ocean fog that spills in but never gets to Morgan Hill. And the flip-side of that is true sometimes. The Salinas fog comes into the valley and has enough power to get to Morgan Hill but can’t come over the hill.”
Paradise Valley Vineyard wines are available at Morgan Hill restaurants including Ladera Grill, The Good Fork, Maurizio’s, and Rosy’s at the Beach. The Solanas have a small tasting room next to the vineyard, but, because of the small size of their operation, they only offer private wine tastings for parties of four or more. The wine tasting room features a small bar topped with a thick plank of black walnut wood saved from the toppled orchard trees and milled by a friend of Claude’s.
“It’s an intimate wine tasting room,” he said. “We can serve up to 15 people, and more than that in the summer when we can put a table outside for the wine tasting. It’s a nice experience because the wine is pretty good. It’s an intimate setting.”
Paradise Valley Vineyard
Location: Call for private wine tasting
Contact: (408) 779-1208 or www.paradisevalleyvineyard.com.
