Introduction

The south Santa Clara Valley includes Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and tiny San Martin in between them. These are old agricultural communities that have seen growth from commuters to Silicon Valley to the north. Gilroy is famous as the Garlic Capital of the World and west of town has long been the center of wine tasting in this region. Recently we've seen additional wineries popping up but we still have the old winery atmosphere of decades ago. Locally we say we are going wine tasting in Gilroy although the region covers other towns. The wineries refer to themselves as Santa Clara Valley wineries but we rarely hear tasters refer to this area that way. San Jose is beginning to see the emergence of wineries and tasting rooms although J Lohr has been located in San Jose since the mid-1970's.

This region was used by the padres for mission wine starting in the late 1700's, long before any other wine region in California.

Clos La Chance has the best architecture and landscaping in the region. Beautiful place. Tom Kruse and Ernie Fortino are about the last of the old timers who are often in their tasting rooms.

So why visit this region if you live far away? Simple - it's the wine. The deep soils and climate have proven to be some of the best in the world for agriculture. The old-time vintners still produce full-bodied robust wine although some of the newbies are producing the softer wines that are popular now. The region is also a bargain with some of the lowest case prices in California.

The usual hotels and restaurants are along Highway 101. Morgan Hill has a nice little downtown with some fine dining restaurants and Gilroy is working to improve their main street. Most travelers stay in the San Jose area.

- Jim Preston

Must See Santa Clara Valley Wineries - an introduction to the region.

• Guglielmo
  • Interior ambiance - cozy tasting room with some of the friendliest staff in the state.
  • Wine - large wine selection and great prices.
  • Gift shop - the best in the area.
• Thomas Kruse
  • Ambiance - working winery ambiance which means stuff is everywhere. However, the piano works and gets played.
  • Tours - Tom gives detailed winery and vineyard tours but they aren't scheduled. Tom loves to explain the wine making process from the vine to the bottle. He gives his guests a quality experience. Also available are opportunities to pick grapes and self-bottle his wine. BBQ's and plenty of wine after "work".
  • Wine - great case prices on robust quality wines.
• Solis
  • Picnic site - one of the best winery picnic sites in the area. Taste and eat in the beautiful setting.
  • Wine - some of the best anywhere if you like full-bodied wine.
• Fortino
  • Wine - one of the old time wineries - Italian varietals.
• Clos La Chance
  • Architecture and interior - this Tuscan style winery is the queen of the region.
  • Picnic sites - two picnic areas with relaxing views of their little valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Off-The-Beaten-Track Santa Clara Valley Wineries

The whole region is rather off-the-beaten-track but Martin Ranch is more than most. I dare you to find this winery. They are only open one weekend a month so wait until you see the sign on Watsonville road before heading off into the mountains. Incidentally, Martin Ranch is one of our favorite wineries. Their Cabs are some of the best in California - at least for our taste.

Romantic Santa Clara Valley Wineries

A special ambiance for long quiet conversations and enjoying love. Usually we have a secluded outdoor scene in mind.

• Clos La Chance - Italian ambiance with a deck and view of the vineyards and mountains.
• Solis - tables under trees next to a vineyard.

Notes

Your tastes change frequently. Do wine ratings, gold medals, etc. really matter?

We have hundreds of winery interview videos in winery profiles. We shoot these at winery events because that is the cheapest way to gather content. It would be nice to go to each tasting room but this gets very expensive quickly. See our Compare Winery Features search engine for which wineries have videos in your target region.

We are adding our Discover California Wine Regions videos to the Recommended Wineries by Region pages.

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