gmhTODAY 17 gmhToday Nov Dec 2017 | Page 83

Bev Stenehjem is a local wine enthusiast , author and freelance writer focused on the wineries of Santa Clara Valley . Bev wrote “ The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley ,” a historical photo book published by Arcadia Publishing in 2015 . Bev conducts occasional wine and food pairing events at the local wineries and through Gavilan College Community Education . She is passionate about shining a light on the world-class wines of
Funniest customer story ? Some of our guests wear the nuttiest things . On our opening weekend , there were the two women wearing headbands with cat ears . Last winter , we had a bus full of people wearing ugly sweaters . Then there was the young woman who came dressed in a bright green tutu — she was celebrating her engagement with a group of her girlfriends and everyone was wearing green because it was her favorite color .
What kind of vibe does your winery have ? Relaxed , welcoming , authentic . An afternoon vacation .
Worst disaster story at your winery ? Remember how we asked a lot of people about their mistakes ? I made most of my major mistakes while apprenticing at another winery . All of our mistakes have actually turned around to make great wine in the end ; we ’ ve been really lucky .
Best advice you received from another winemaker ? Plant what you like to drink because you ’ ll be drinking a lot of it . And don ’ t screw it up .
Why are your club members so loyal , what does club membership offer them ? An opportunity to be the first to know and taste what we ’ re up to here . And the choice of any bottle of wine they want every six months at a discounted rate for a total of a case per year .
What recipe do you like to add wine to ? Most of them ? I like to cook most meats in a little wine , or use the wine for marinating .
Which part of owning a winery do you prefer : farming , winemaking , tasting room / schmoozing with customers ? I love the variety and seeing the grapes all the way through the winemaking process — from soil to sales . Being in the vineyard gives me some pretty magical moments . Winemaking makes me think , and trust my decisions — always good practice . Being able to share all of that with our customers is surreal .
How do you two balance your busy lives with running a winery ? The nice thing about emergency medicine is that once Todd leaves the hospital , his work is done . So , when he ’ s home , he ’ s really present . Todd ’ s shifts are also scheduled , there is no on-call , so we can plan more easily . He does all the farming work on his days off , and we work the winery together on those days as well .
As far as I am concerned , I ’ m not sure I do . I have great babysitters and friends who can help out with our four-year old son when we ’ re in a bind . Sometimes I have to resort to the TV or tablet to afford me 20 uninterrupted minutes to complete that task or “ put out that fire .” We try to involve our son as much as he ’ ll cooperate . We do the best we can .
Entertainment and Dancing by
NO RESPECT
$ 70 Per Person
Bar @ 5 pm Dinner @ 7 pm
Appetizers , Grand Buffet and Dessert including :
King Crab New York Strip Shrimp Scampi Cold Shrimp Cocktail
By Chef Dave Bozzo
Champagne Toast at Midnight
Does your winery have a pet mascot ? We have babydoll sheep that graze during the post-harvest winter months . And a dog that occasionally is shocked by all the people in the tasting room and makes an appearance in the vineyard barking at everyone .
Reservations Required by December 28th , 2017 408.842.9397
Open to Elk Members and their Guests
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017 gmhtoday . com
83