History Scenic Views
Wine club members consume most of his production but he also ships bottles to Odeum in Morgan Hill , and the Capital Club and Morton ’ s in San Jose . One of the unique elements of EmmaLily is that much of his bottling is done in magnums up to the 9 liter , Salmanazar , which is the equivalent of 12 standard bottles . It weighs around 50 pounds !
The wine club is active and participates in many aspects of the winemaking process . Wine tasting is by appointment only . ( emmalilyvineyards . com )
Guglielmo Winery is one of the major wineries in the area . They are the “ oldest , consistently operating , family owned winery in Santa Clara Valley .” Since 1925 , the Guglielmo family has managed this unique winery . It is a mix of rural , urban , and suburban settings . In the beginning , there were only 15 acres ; today there are 100 acres with 70 acres of vines . Guglielmo Winery is committed to sustainable practices .
There are a lot of three ’ s going on here . The three brothers — George , winemaker and president , Gene , director of sales , and Gary , the general manager — are the third generation in the business . They produce 40,000 cases under three labels : Guglielmo Private Reserve , TRÉ , and the oldest , Emile ’ s .
Greg Richtarek , director of marketing , says they have a wine for every palate . Guglielmo is a busy place . In addition to their own wines , they bottle another 100,000 cases for other wineries . There is a bustling event center with weddings , corporate events , wine club activities and off-site events . The tasting room and gift shop is open seven days a week . The Christmas Boutique is a unique holiday adventure .
The winery combines a strong family history setting with modern and sophisticated winemaking operation . The Heritage Room is a favorite location for intimate to small events . The outside courtyard , stage and open space accommodates larger events
In addition to many private weddings , corporate happenings and events , Guglielmo Winery hosts many public popular events : Sherino and Chardonnay ( usually a sold out event ), Vines & Vibes , Wednesdays in the summer , and Bottle Your Own , four times a year .
The Guglielmo family extends a family welcome to all who visit this historic and classy winery . ( guglielmowinery . com )
Heading east , up Dunne Avenue on Hill Road , is a new winery . John and Delyse Klusendorf operate Hill Road Vineyards and are in the last stages of permits to officially open .
The winery will offer tastings by appointment only . Their goal is to offer an experience “ among the grapes ” with small weddings and intimate celebrations . The location has fantastic views of El Toro especially at sunset . The tasting lounge and tables are in the vineyard .
In 2002 , the first vines were planted . The wines are produced on the premises . Several vintages of Merlot , Cabernet and blends are aging nicely . Reports are they are excellent .
The Klusendorf ’ s are also involved in Aquaponics . ( hillroadvineyards . com )
Sheldon Haynie and Jane Mika-Haynie had tinkered with vineyards and wine making . A visit to Creekview Cellars , also in San Martin , made them believers in a backyard tasking room . Not long after Lightheart Cellars blossomed in the backyard of their Roosevelt Avenue home .
Sheldon manages their vineyards and several other vineyards in the South County area . Jane is the winemaker . The combination is a good one that has produced several award-winning wines and a confortable feel to the tasting room that is epitomized by their tagline “ Good Wine , Good Times .”
As if making wine was not enough , the family also produces mead . Son , Alderin , is the mead maker . Mead uses honey instead of grapes to produce the sugars necessary for alcohol . While some mead can be very sweet , Alderin ’ s tend to be more on the “ dry side of semi-sweet .” Alderin ’ s Meadery is unique in the South County area . They currently produce three meads : Simple Pleasures , a semidry mead ; Winter Celebration , a zesty seasonal mead ; and Strawberry Mead , Frejya ’ s Blessing , a refreshing spring sensation .
Some of Lightheart wines are available locally at Westside Grill in Gilroy , and Rosy ’ s at the Beach and Ladera Grill in Morgan Hill . The Lightheart newsletters and blogs give some interesting insight into the vine growing , winemaking process .
The winery is open the first and third weekend of the month . Tasting appointments are available . Most of the time there is a little music . So come on by for “ Good Wine , Good Times .”( lightheartcellars . com )
Mike and Maryclaire Sempagnaro of Morgan Hill Cellars might be described as winery owners by default . Moving down from the San Jose area they were looking for a two-house country property for them and their daughter ’ s family . They were about to sign on a property further
28
M O R G A N H I L L T O D A Y S P R I N G 2 0 1 4