Main story: New Wine Trolley tours vineyards in South Valley

El Toro Tours works with local wineries to host weekend outings

Wine lovers prepare to board the Wine Trolley at Cottage Creek Winery. Photo by Kaylee Arca

By Kaylee Arca

A small group of wine lovers gathered at Noah’s Bistro in downtown Morgan Hill on a recent August Saturday. They enjoyed Champagne and refreshments as they excitedly waited to board the new Morgan Hill Wine Trolley. The open-air trolley soon rolled into the warm afternoon, headed for three local vineyards. The stops of the day: Cottage Creek Vineyards, Fernwood Cellars, and Solis Winery.

Lajette England and Jodi Syth sit under large trees at Cottage Creek Vineyard enjoying a glass of wine as part of the Wine Trolley tour. Photo by Kaylee Arca

Residents may have seen the trolley cruising around town on test drives. Now, the public can enjoy guided weekend tours and tastings of South Valley wineries with the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley.

Hosted by El Toro Tours LLC, the new experience aims to bring residents and visitors to enjoy wineries in Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy. Through the nonprofit Wineries of Santa Clara Valley Association, the Wine Trolley partners with 16 winemakers from large, popular vineyards to family-owned wineries to taste some of the best vino and chat with the people who make it.

Friends and co-founders Christina Perez and Heather Gallegos created the Wine Trolley venture for a safe, fun way for residents and visitors to explore the area and grow the local tourism. The idea came about after they tried to gather friends to go wine tasting but had a hard time choosing where to visit, Gallegos said.

“There were almost too many choices with more than 30 wineries in the area around Morgan Hill,” she said. “Because we’d been to other wine areas and experienced those wine trolleys, we just figured this is a missing piece here, and we could work together to provide it.”

The Wine Trolley began its test runs in June and was met with excitement by residents.

“When people saw it for the very first time, we were on the trolley going down Monterey (Road),” Gallegos recalled. “Their reactions were just shock and amazement and dropped jaws … It immediately generated this sense of community.”

Photo by Kaylee Arca

The Wine Trolley operates weekends rain or shine. It takes its mission “Sip Local” seriously. Each tour embarks from downtown Morgan Hill, with the riders getting to meet each other at a Champagne toast. Visitors experience a variety of unique wineries with a different lineup for every tour. A small lunch is provided at the second stop.

“Response from the partnerships has been very supportive,” Gallegos said. “They want to have more folks enjoy, see, and understand their wineries and have a safe way to get there. And we want to provide an enjoyable afternoon for our guests at the local wineries.”

A master list tracks each winery’s operating hours and proximity to surrounding vineyards. This list helps the Wine Trolley team select and coordinate the three locations for each tour. Attendees can expect to spend less than 20 minutes traveling between destinations.

Complimentary water and snacks are provided. A tasting of three to five wines is included at each location.

Linda Figone serves as the trolley driver. As the Gilroy Unified School District’s Transportation Supervisor for years and a California State Certified School Bus Driver Instructor, riders can be assured they are in the hands of a professional. Instead of school children, she enjoys sharing the pleasure of showing fun-loving wine fans and is glad she joined the venture when Perez and Gallegos reached out looking for help.

Photo by Kaylee Arca

“The Wine Trolley is a different vibe,” Figone said. “All week I’m telling kids to sit down, face forward, keep your voices down, and this is ‘let’s stand up and have fun!’ Total different vibe.”

Figone loves the entertaining , lively tours and encourages guests during the afternoon outings to sing, dance, and get to know each other. She hopes to hire more drivers to help with the weekend tours, she said.

“It’s a great chance to get out and meet people while exploring the area,” said Alejandro Flores, the tour guide.

During the recent Saturday excursion, long-time Gilroy residents and friends Lajette England and Jodi Syth enjoyed sitting under the large trees of Cottage Creek Vineyards while sipping sparkling rosé.

The pair learned about the Wine Trolley from friends and wanted to spend a relaxing afternoon together, leaving their husbands at home to drink beer, England joked.

The Morgan Hill Wine Trolley plans to expand business hours and host special events during the upcoming holiday season, Gallegos said.

“Our biggest thing is we want our entire community here to share in the experience,” she said. “But we really want to get out to the, you know, the greater Silicon Valley region and the Central Coast to show them what’s available here because they have no idea yet.”

Kaylee Arca is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.