Local vintners will be on hand to chat
Published in the April 29 – May 12, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Villa Mira Monte home
The Morgan Hill Historical Society invites the public to experience locally-produced wines in the midst of Villa Mira Monte, the history park a few blocks north of downtown.
“Wine tasting at Villa Mira Monte is an ideal starting point to meet the winemakers and learn more about California’s earliest premium wine region,” said Kathy Sullivan, president of the society which operates Villa Mira Monte.
The Wine Tasting Room at Villa Mira Monte will provide a downtown presence for local wineries that do not have tasting rooms or want an additional tasting facility in a highly accessible area, she said. It will also draw a more diverse audience to Villa Mira Monte to experience the history of the South Valley. A portion of the proceeds support the operation and maintenance of Villa Mira Monte.
The inaugural winery in the program is Paradise Valley Vineyards which is offering Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot tastings. The tasting fee is $5. Bottled wines will be on sale by the wine maker.
Nestled at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains in a valley just west of Morgan Hill’s El Toro peak, Paradise Valley was a serene place to raise the Solanas’s young family with the land and location well suited for growing quality Bordeaux varietals. Founded in 2002, Paradise Valley Vineyards produces both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and is the realization of Claude and Evelyn’s dream, Sullivan said.
The 2 1/2-acre Villa Mira Monte history park is on the registry of National Historic Landmarks. On the site sits the 1884 Hiram Morgan Hill House, the country home Hiram Morgan Hill built for his wife, Diana Murphy Hill. Other attractions include the 1911 Acton House Morgan Hill Museum and the Centennial History Trail with beautiful rose gardens surrounding it. Docents will be on hand to provide tours to visitors who come for the wine tasting.
Plans are to have one additional winery join the tasting in the future, Sullivan said.
