Modesto wine columnist rediscovers Morgan Hill’s food and wine treasures
More than 50 years ago, the Navigator and I discovered the beauty of the Santa Clara Valley. The lush green vineyards, colorful fruit stands and family wineries, mostly Italian, offered free tastings and shady areas for picnics.
We took many day trips in our VW bug, as gas was about 29.9 cents per gallon. We could make it there from the Big Valley in about 85 minutes. We sometimes camped in the Madonna County Park or the Uvas Canyon County Park. We have great memories of those times. Today, Santa Clara Valley offers a 30-mile Wine Trail that features 25 award-winning, pet-friendly wineries, with 25-plus cool picnic areas. We decided maybe it was time to revisit the Valley.
Santa Clara Valley AVA
In 1989, the valley was declared an American Viticultural Area. The AVA has two sub appellations, Pacheco Pass AVA and the San Ysidro District AVA. It includes Santa Clara, San Benito and Alameda counties. More than 4,500 acres are planted in vines with 50 bonded wineries.
Lightpost Winery, located in Morgan Hill, is a boutique winery which sources grapes from the best vineyards on the Central Coast. Well respected in the industry, winemaker Christian Roguenant and co-winemaker Sofia Fedotova believe that wine makes itself in the vineyard, by constant monitoring. In the 2023 Sunset Wine Competition, their four entrees won two Gold and two Double Gold Medals. Yes, we loved their Pinots Noirs.
Guglielmo Winery hosted an exclusive Wine and Chocolate Pairing in celebrating its 100th anniversary and boy did we luck out! Family owned, the extensive wine list includes two whites, one Rose, four sparkling and 16 reds, mostly Italian varietals. The crowd was mostly their wine clubbers, a few cute dogs, live music, smooth wines and luscious chocolates. Their Reserve Merlot and Barbera were our top picks. Congratulations to the Guglielmo Winery and Cheers to the next 100 years.
P & V Winery on Dougherty Avenue is owned by Paul and Vicki Kermoyan. Their winery sits on seven acres of Primitivo vines and produces about 500 cases. The small backyard stage is perfect for music on weekends. From shaded tables you have the option of ordering wine flights or by the glass/bottle, or their special Sangria. The vibe is: go ahead and kick your shoes off, stay the afternoon, dance or just relax. Excellent wines, smooth music and friendly hosts made our visit perfect. The Estate Primitivo Rose and the Clarksburg Syrah were top-notch.
Downtown Morgan Hill
This town rocks! The Downtown Improvement District has more than 20 restaurants, most with outdoor dining, great parking, live music, wine tasting, open-air markets, monthly festivals and, right down the middle of Monterey Road, is a row of trees covered with lights. It’s like it’s Christmas year-round
We arrived on a Friday before lunch. We walked through the downtown, window shopping and reading posted menus. We decided on Craft Roots for lunch which offered a 100% plant based menu. Wait….Vegan? Yes, it was delicious and the place was packed. After, we headed to Lightpost Winery and then to our centrally located LaQuinta Hotel. After a much needed nap, on to Bubbles & Brew for dinner and live music. The patio was full and diners were eating or drinking or singing “Mustang Sally” along with the band. The menu is a variety of delicious share-ables. We had a mushroom flat bread, a pear salad, a bottle of local Pinot Noir and all was well.
If you visit, don’t forget the Morgan Hill Farmer’s Market on Saturday, 9:30-11:30a.m. on Depot Street. You can talk to the growers, smell the flowers, taste the fruit and listen to live bluegrass music over a cup of locally ground coffee.
Later we drove to Lawson’s Bakery for more coffee and brunch. We ordered two sandwiches, both delicious but way too big. OK, maybe we shouldn’t have ordered the loaded tater-tots. The next spot was the Guglielmo Winery for the Wine & Chocolate Pairing and then on to P & V Winery to relax, taste and listen to more live music. We had dinner at MOHI Farm with its farm-to-table concept and seasonal menu. We shared a mushroom soup, Caesar salad, bacon and blue hamburger and a terrific Leal Pinot Noir.
On Sunday, we slept in and then headed to The Breakfast Club. The Bloody Marys were spot on. The food is fresh, big and, yes, more take home boxes which fed us the entire next week. Re-visiting Santa Clara Valley Wines along with the exciting food we tasted in Morgan Hill made for a great weekend. Could Morgan Hill become the culinary capital of the entire Valley? I think they’re on the right track.
What’s on our table
The Spanish 2020 Siglo Roble Ribera del Duero is made entirely from Tempranillo grapes and aged for four months in French and American oak barrels. Aromas are of fresh red fruits with notes of vanilla. It pairs well with turkey, pork and grilled vegetables and is a steal at the Grocery Outlet for $6.99, Cheers!
Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.