My memories of growing up in England include my mother pouring port after Sunday dinner—and sometimes a glass of sherry before dinner. My family didn’t drink much wine back then, but we certainly made up for it with the port and sherry.
When I tried Guglielmo’s Eredita Port, bottled in 2013, I certainly had wonderful flashbacks of consuming many a glass of this fortified wine back home in Dear Old Blighty.
Guglielmo’s very limited Special Family Reserve Port—Eredita, the Italian word for heritage—celebrates the legacy of three generations of Guglielmo family winemaking. It is produced exclusively from classic Portuguese grape varieties grown in California; Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tina Cao and Tinta Amarela. The winemakers suggest that this rich and complex dessert wine, made in the classic “Ruby Port” style, is the perfect complement to dried apricots, almond slivers, strong cheeses and dark chocolate desserts. Since we often end a meal with cheese in the U.K., rounding things off with a glass of port fills the mouth with abundant flavor.
Guglielmo Winery is a delightful place to visit, and the reason for my recent visit was for the opening of the Santa Clara Wine Trail.
Guglielmo Winery, 1480 East Main Ave., Morgan Hill, 408-779-2145. Guglielmowinery.com. The tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and special events are always being held.
Santa Clara Wine Trail Opens
The Santa Clara Wine Trail officially opened a few weeks ago, with a very impressive day’s outing starting with the unveiling of the new wine trail sign at Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by speeches from all three Guglielmo brothers, whose family winemaking tradition began in 1925. There are more than 20 Santa Clara Valley wineries along the new route, and the signs help to lead the way in the more rural areas where GPS may be spotty. After stops at participating wineries on the trail, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at The Milias Restaurant in downtown Gilroy. Visit SantaClaraWines.com for more information on the trail.
Windy Oaks Opens Tasting Room in Carmel
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery has opened a beautiful new tasting room right in the heart of Carmel village. They are open every day from noon to 7 p.m. and the location is Su Vecino Court, on Dolores between 5th and 6th streets, 831-574-3135. Their tasting room in Corralitos remains open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The entire family is involved with running the winery, with husband and wife team Judy and Jim Schultze as sole proprietors of the estate. Jim is the winemaker, son Spencer is assistant winemaker and son James is manager of the new tasting room in Carmel. Visit winedyoaksestate.com.
