Everyone knows Guglielmo Winery, perhaps for its estate Zinfandel or Petite Sirah, the latter soon to be on local Trader Joe’s shelves.  Assistant winemaker Niklas (Nik) Zorn is not just about making old world style wines from Santa Clara fruit, though. He looks far and [...]

What could be better than a great Pinot Noir? How about four of them?  Hailing from as far away as San Luis Obispo and Russian River, and as near as the Santa Cruz Mountains, these wines really speak of place, and of winemaker Christian Roguenant’s eagerness to make them [...]

The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley have decided to discontinue their Spring and Fall Passport program in favor of a year-round Wine Trail Pass, which allows visitors a lot more flexibility to plan their visits. Instead of just two months out of the year, the Wine Trail Pass, [...]

Sofia Fedotova, co-owner of Lightpost Winery in Morgan Hill, thought it would be great to commemorate their first year with a time capsule. And, of course, a party. “We had a small, wonderful reception with everyone having a great time, sharing stories, nibbling on yummy [...]

The holidays are a chance to make the world smaller as we open hearts and homes to family and friends and, hopefully, to perfect strangers as well. This Thanksgiving, I met cousins from Germany I didn’t even know I had, and unsurprisingly, we bonded over wine. It’s the [...]

Harvest 2019 seemed endless to many. At last, it’s finally over. John Aver of Aver Family Vineyards finally brought in cinsault, mourvedre and petite sirah. Of 2019, he said, “I like the quality of the fruit, and acids and sugars seemed very balanced for the most part, but [...]

When I dropped in at Church Creek Cellars on a warm November Saturday, the parking lot was near full and the place was filled with many happy patrons being served by a welcoming staff. Among them were three gents named Carl, Ray and Rich, who make the wine at Church Creek [...]

Santa Clara Valley wineries offer everything you need for your Thanksgiving feast, from sparkling and pinot noir to grenache, sangiovese and beyond. Begin with zingy-fresh 2018 Jason-Stephens “Pixelated” Rosé of Sangiovese and Alara Cellars sparkling, followed by Alara 2017 [...]

Ask anybody about the 2019 harvest in the Santa Clara Valley and they’ll tell you it’s been late and protracted. Kim Englehart of Lion Ranch shared, “It’s been challenging; every piece of equipment seemed to have an issue at least once.” They are still waiting on [...]

Jerry Lohr recently celebrated 45 years as the head of a 100 percent family-owned wine business that eschews outside investors. His children are all involved, also a rarity. Daughter Cynthia Lohr was just named chief brand officer. Consistency, quality, varietal typicity and [...]