As Half Moon Bay resident Loren Whitney rinsed out her glass and
hopped into a friend’s car leaving the Passport Weekend on
Saturday, she said she felt
”
enlightened.
”
As Half Moon Bay resident Loren Whitney rinsed out her glass and hopped into a friend’s car leaving the Passport Weekend on Saturday, she said she felt “enlightened.”
“This is some of the greatest wine I’ve had in a long time,” she said. “I never knew all these wineries were out here.”
The San Benito County Wine Growers Association, made up of the eight wineries in the area, said the Second Annual Passport Weekend is meant to do just that – open visitors’ eyes to the quality of this wine region. The money raised from the event will go to getting the word out and publicizing San Benito County wineries more.
“I can’t think of a better way to do it,” Summerayne Winery Owner Gillian Enz-Bowlus said about the event. “Everybody is working together and have something different to offer.”
This is Summerayne’s first year participating and Bowlus said it’s been great.
“We’ve gotten a really good response about our wine,” she said.
For $25, wine lovers were given a passport, which was their ticket to travel around to the eight wineries and enjoy barrel tastings, live music and food.
Sally Silva, of Hollister, and her friends thought wine tasting would be a great way to spend the weekend.
“I really like wine so it’s been great to be able to taste so many of them at once,” she said. “And the food is great.”
Wine lovers Colleen Frost and Lori Gibbs got 10 of their girlfriends together, all wearing black dresses, and rented a limo for the afternoon to enjoy the wine and each others’ company.
“It’s a girls day out,” Frost said. “And we all just really enjoy the wineries in this region.”
One of the things Pietra Santa Winery Owner Deanna Gimelli said is different this year is the flow of the crowd. Last year, there were only a few check-in points for people to get started, and this year each winery was a starting point.
“I had a visitor come up to me and say that this year she had an opportunity to come up and ask questions and taste more,” she said. “I think the flow is better, and it’s less of a crowd all at once.”
Ralph Hurd, assistant wine maker at DeRose Winery, agreed.
“Things are going a lot smoother this year,” he said.
While many of the tasters were local, some made the drive from places all over the state.
Wine guru Rachel Turner drove all the way from her home in San Francisco for the event. After hearing about it from a friend in the area, she said she couldn’t resist checking out San Benito County wine.
“I had never heard of these wineries before, but I love wine, and I figure the weather here would create some good grapes,” she said. “I was impressed with the weather and the wine. The combination of the two have made for a beautiful day.”
