Published in the Oct. 1-14, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Cindy Adams
Cindy Adams
If you’ve been keeping up with the local news, there has been quite a bit of coverage about the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail. You may have seen the lovely “Wine Trail” signs along the byways of Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy and wondered “what does that mean?” I’ve actually received questions from folks who kind of know what it’s about, and others who have no idea. I’d like to use this column to answer your questions and let you know what to expect as you journey along the Wine Trail.
Santa Clara Valley is actually the oldest winemaking area in California, with quality wine being produced as early as the mid-1800s, largely by European immigrants. At that time, the wines produced were jug wines because, really, that’s what wine was at that time. Single varietals, oak ageing, and all the things we now appreciate about wine didn’t exist at that point. It was during the late 1970s and early 1980s that California wine started to become what it is now, and the starting point for all of this were the Napa and Sonoma areas. Soon, winemaking regions such as Santa Barbara, Paso Robles and Mendocino became very popular for their style of wines. Santa Clara Valley never stopped producing high-quality wines but, unfortunately, we were still tagged as the “jug wine area.” Sometimes reputations are hard to overcome, no matter how hard we try. Our area was consistently ignored by wine critics, wine judges and, consequently, the general public. We knew we had amazing wines, fabulous wineries, and friendly and knowledgeable people, but how do we let the world know this?
Enter a committed and talented group of people who felt strongly about the quality of Santa Clara Valley wines and wanted to share that. Among this team were Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman, local dentist and Certified Specialist of Wine Jon Hatakeyma, Morgan Hill Cellars owner Wine Mike Sampognaro and marketing director of Guglielmo Winery and current president of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley Greg Richtarek. Joined by other Santa Clara Valley wine lovers, the group developed a workable plan and presented it to the County Board of Supervisors. The plan was to establish a Wine Trail that would circle the wineries and vineyards, providing directional signs and actually giving credence to this beautiful and historic wine region. This plan was presented to the Board of Supervisors and it was a happy day in our wine country when this plan was approved.
On Friday, Aug. 22, the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony at Guglielmo Winery, followed by a media tour of the trail, with stops at some of the county’s more historic wineries. A wine-paired lunch followed at downtown Gilroy’s Milias Restaurant. The following weekend was Wine Trail Celebration Weekend and visitors could purchase a ticket, receive a lovely Wine Trail wine glass and visit the wineries where there were special events for ticket holders. The wine glasses and also Wine Trail signs, coasters, and magnets are still available for purchase at many local wineries. It was a wonderful weekend to finally celebrate the recognition of the oldest winemaking region in California as a viable, beautiful place to enjoy amazing and award winning wines.
Now to answer some of the questions you may have (and that I’ve been asked) about the Wine Trail. The Wine Trail signs and the directional signs were installed, and are maintained, by the County Transportation Department. The trail is 28 miles long and runs in a loop. There are 19 wineries directly on the trail. There are 23 wineries in the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, but some are not physically located on the trail. There is no charge to drive the Wine Trail (it’s not like the 17-Mile Drive); and each winery determines their own hours of operation and tasting fees. A great way to experience our wineries (and drive the Wine Trail) is on Passport Weekend which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9. Wine maps are available free of charge at any of the local wineries, or can be downloaded on our website: www.SantaClaraWines.com.
We’ll see you on the Wine Trail!
Cindy Adams, CS, CSW, is the director of retail operations at Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill.
