John Rea was the founder of the Gilroy Winery & Distillery , located at 60 Seventh Street , shipped wine to several states in the late 1800 ’ s and early 1900 ’ s .
Photos courtesy of the Gilroy Museum
John Rea
regular basis from Gilroy enterprises , with one report stating , “ The wine from John Rea ’ s cellars has enjoyed wide sales recently . Consignments have reached several states , with much going to Nevada . An agent from a New Orleans firm has ordered 3,000 gallons .”
By December , 1904 , 2,200 tons of wine grapes were being harvested in the Gilroy area , with many new vineyards planted for the region west of town , plus a new , large winery under the direction of the Solis Wine & Fruit Company . Thousands of acres were being prepared for vineyards in the Gilroy and San Martin areas .
Besides the Solis Winery , by 1905 , another big new winery was in the works . Called the Las Animas Winery , it was located north of Gilroy , and claimed to have the area ’ s most modern winemaking equipment . Operated by W . B . Rankin and Joseph Colombert of the California Wine Association , the Las Animas Winery , which continued in operation until 1971 , started with seven acres purchased from Henry Miller north of the Gilroy city limits . The California Wine Association also purchased most of the grapes , which at first were planted in Zinfandel . By 1906 , the Las Animas Winery leased an additional 1,000 acres from Henry Miller , including a portion of the Glen Ranch and land near Bloomfield Ranch . By this time , forty acres of the Glen Ranch were also under grape cultivation by S . W . Kilpatrick , who later added several hundred acres to his vineyards .
During the early decades of the 20th Century , the Gilroy wine region continued to expand . Then came the Prohibition years , which devastated the industry . It was a time when many old vineyards were ripped out and replaced with more lucrative crops . Then came repeal , and a renewed interest in planting grapes . This was reflected in an August , 1941 article in the Gilroy Dispatch , “ Michael J . Filice is to revive the vineyard on the Glen Ranch . He recently purchased the last parcel of old Miller and Lux property ... He will plant Pinot Noir , Cabernet Sauvignon and St . Emillion grapes .”
Over the decades , many Gilroy wineries that began as a family enterprise have continued in operation under succeeding generations . Still others have been bought up as part of larger , statewide operations . Today , with 90 % of U . S . wine coming from California , the wines of Santa Clara County now form part of an expanding world market . Many of these wines , and their blends , originate in Gilroy , where the savor and aroma of the past continues to find favor and pleasure , both locally and abroad .
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