San Benito County should raise a glass and toast its developing
wineries as a possible engine to power the tourism push in our
area.
San Benito County should raise a glass and toast its developing wineries as a possible engine to power the tourism push in our area.
As our Napa neighbors to the north are well aware, wine-tasting is big business in California and locals know the vinos produced in our county compare to any around. Just ask residents who attended the Kinship Food and Wine Tasting on Sept. 11 or the Passport weekend in June. With Leal, Enz, Pietra Santa, Calera, Summerayne, DeRose Vineyards and Ozeki Sake all showing their labels at the events, it’s obvious San Benito County should be on any connoisseur’s wine map.
Yet, the majority of wine-lovers seem to know little about the quality vintages of San Benito County and little attention is paid to our small yet impressive wineries at the state and national level. It’s time to change that.
And what better opportunity to clue people in to the wonderful world of our local wineries than Leal Vineyards’ recent recognition in the October edition of Food and Wine magazine as one of the top 20 Best New Wineries in the world.
It’s quite an accomplishment for a small winery with great-tasting wine, and it’s an awesome marketing tool to attract the wine tasters usually heading to Napa and Sonoma valleys to wet their whistles. We can see the advertisements now: Come taste one of the best new wineries in the world (the others are pretty darn good, too).
Hopefully, the local chamber of commerce has been on the horn with the many large circulation newspapers and magazines in the state pushing for free ink on Leal’s recognition and inviting writers to feature the accomplishment in their articles.
The historical precedent of wine in our area also could be tied into the historical boons such as the San Benito Historical park, San Juan Bautista and Mission San Juan, as well. Couple that with our rural beauty and the natural sights of the Pinnacles National Monument and San Benito County is beginning to sound like a destination vacation area.
We’ve touted the benefits of tourism before as a clean source of revenue for our cash strapped local government and struggling businesses, and some steps have been taken to create an identity for San Benito County. But, we say strike, and strike often while the iron is hot. Food and Wine’s recognition will not go unnoticed by wine lovers and we should not let this opportunity pass us up.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, The Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or e-mail to
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