Morgan Hill Today 2014 09 Fall | Page 28

South County wineries are a varied lot . Clos la Chance and Guglielmo are large operations ; Paradise Valley is a small operation with only two acres . Many are family owned like Morgan Hill Cellars , Aver , Hecker Pass , Fortino , Solis , Martin Ranch and Light Heart . Others have owners with high tech backgrounds such as Kirigin , Satori , Jason-Stephens , Sarah ’ s and Sunlit Oaks . Some have elegant settings like Castillo and Clos La Chance ; others are more rustic like Ross and Martin Ranch . Some have longevity like Hecker Pass , Rapazzini , and Tom Kruse . Some are quiet like Chateau Marie Antoinette , J . Dowd and Monte Verde ; others are community-gathering places like Fortino , Guglielmo and Satori . At least one , Uvas Creek has closed and been incorporated into Sycamore Creek . Most have a tasting room but Mann Cellars does not … yet ! At least two are also part of the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards : Martin Ranch and Fernwood . EmmaLilly specializes in magnum and larger bottles . Light Heart also offers mead . At least two have local tasting rooms as well as second sites : Fernwood in Los Gatos and Creekview in San Jose . — There , I think we mentioned all of the local wineries ! There is something for everyone and according to sources there are a few more wineries in the process of getting bonded and plan on opening in the near future . Many wineries have meeting rooms , recreational offerings , picnic grounds , wedding facilities , entertainment and food pairings . Most have active wine clubs —
During the Wine Trail opening ceremonies , dignitaries touted the local wineries many award winning wines . A quick review of the 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Tasting Competition showed 57 awards for local wineries .
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