Editorial: Celebrate local wines during California Wine Month

As the holidays approach, consider supporting the local economy by purchasing bottles of vino from local winemakers as gifts for friends and family.

Photo by Marty Check
MOHI workers Ginny Henderson, Jennifer Morgan, and Briana Wendt during the wine event.

Editorial is the opinion of Gilroy Life

September is California Wine Month. It’s the time of year when the fall harvesting starts throughout South Valley. As the fruit is fully maturing on the vine and some crop is coming in, the smell of crushed grapes is in the air for visitors who stop by our local wineries.

The month-long celebration was established by the Visit California nonprofit to promote the Golden State’s tourism economy. Throughout the state visitors have enjoyed numerous events to celebrate fine wines and good cuisine. Among them was the immensely successful Vine to Wine afternoon social held Sunday Sept. 12 at MOHI restaurant in downtown Morgan Hill.

Nearly 350 guests enjoyed fine wines from 21 of the region’s vintners and sampled delicious appetizers from many of Morgan Hill and Gilroy’s best restaurants. The inaugural Vine to Wine event was organized by the Santa Clara Valley Wine Association, and the main organizers were the association’s marketing director Stacy Giannini, local businessman Frank Leal, and Morgan Hill City Councilmember John McKay.

The event highlighted the support the South Valley community has in promoting the wine industry here. It nearly did not happen because organizers had a hard time finding a suitable outdoor venue that could safely host so many people. Leal came to the rescue and provided MOHI for three hours.

“Frank, literally at the spur of the moment, offered his restaurant,” McKay said. “To me that’s pretty incredible, because he gave up an entire day’s profit.”

This is the South Valley’s first major wine and food event since the pandemic started, and its success demonstrated people want to socialize and taste the best the region has to offer.

“In the end, the restaurants got to show what they were all about, the wineries got to show what they are all about,” McKay said. “There’s such a huge demand by the public to actually have an event to go to.”

We encourage residents to visit and support local wineries — doing so safely following COVID-19 protocols such as social distancing and mask wearing if indoors. And as the holidays approach, consider supporting the local economy by purchasing bottles of vino from local winemakers as gifts for friends and family.

California wine historian Charles L. Sullivan proclaims Santa Clara Valley as “the original premium wine growing region in the modern era of wine-making in America.” Indeed, the region has a long history for wine-making, with the first planting of grapes for sacramental purposes done at the Santa Clara Mission in 1798. By the early 1850s, with Gold Rush pioneers pouring into the state, the rich soil and Mediterranean climate in Santa Clara County meant there were more acres of commercial vineyards here than any other California county.

In the 1970s, California wines started growing in popularity in France and other European countries thanks in part to the famous Judgment of Paris competition of 1976 where California wines competed successfully against established French wines. That was also the same decade when Silicon Valley really started to take off with high-tech companies such as Apple bringing personal computing power to the people. As Silicon Valley executives made millions, some decided to invest in wine-making enterprises.

Many South Valley wineries have won prestigious awards for their fine wines. These honors have helped the region to steadily move away from the “jug alley” reputation it had 20 years ago. Our winemakers are growing in esteem with connoisseurs throughout the world. The winemakers, through the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley initiatives, have worked hard to improve the quality of wines — and their efforts are paying off with the growth of more visitors and prestigious awards.

We raise a glass in a toast of celebration of California Wine Month and for the successful Vine to Wine event. Let us continue introducing visitors throughout the year to the many exceptional winemakers who make their home here.