Hundreds of wine enthusiasts interested in learning and experiencing some of the intricacies of the bottling process joined members of the Guglielmo Winery staff in Morgan Hill Nov. 4 for its seasonal “Bottle Your Own Red Wine” event.
The bountiful turnout of wine club members, non-members and first-time visitors made for one of the busiest bottling events of the year for the local winery, located at 1480 E. Main Ave.
“November is always one of our busiest ones. We were busy from the moment we opened the line to almost 2:30pm,” said Karolyn Dudley, Guglielmo’s wine club manager. “This particular time of year, a lot of people are ordering large amounts of wine by the case, not so much single bottles.”
At Saturday’s bottling event, the winery crew went through 24 barrels, accounting for about 600 cases of wine, Dudley shared. This November’s blended red consisted of Zinfandel (35 percent), Teroldego (26 percent), Barbera (12 percent), Cabernet Franc (9 percent), Petite Sirah (6 percent), Syrah (6 percent) and Mixed Reds (6 percent), all from Guglielmo Private Reserve Stock.
“That changes every time,” said Dudley of the blended combination. “We offer it for tasting in our tasting room two weeks beforehand and we take pre-orders if they can’t come that day.”
Guglielmo’s staff, including winemaker/owner George Guglielmo and winemaker Nikolas Zorn, assisted patrons in the old-fashioned bottling process that made the Nov. 4 event special. Participants placed up to a sixpack of bottles in the portable bottling machine, which automatically stops the flow from the barrel once filled. They then remove the bottles and hand them to a senior worker who corks them with an old-fashioned cork machine.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Dudley of the bottling event that the winery hosts four times per year on the first Saturday of February, May, August and November. “We get a combination of both (members and nonmembers) coming out to the event. Plus we get people visiting for the first time and that’s really exciting.”
Participants paid $6 for each 750ml bottle and $11 for each 1.5-liter bottle.
A family tradition at Guglielmo
Guglielmo Winery has been a family, wine-making tradition in Morgan Hill since 1925. The family-owned winery produces a wide variety of award-winning varietals from more than 80 acres of Santa Clara Valley estate vineyards, as well as from other premium winegrowing regions within California.
Guglielmo Winery produces nearly 40,000 cases annually under three different labels: Guglielmo Private Reserve, TRÉ, and its oldest label, Emile’s.
Along with the trio of family partners in wine George, Gene and Gary Guglielmo, the family winery announced earlier this month that Angelia Guglielmo, Gene’s daughter and the great granddaughter of founder Emilio Guglielmo, has joined the winery in the Customer Relations and Sales Development department.
“She definitely feels that her roots were planted here at the winery from the day she was born and she feels like she has finally arrived home,” said marketing director Elaine Stoddard of Angelia. “Her past, present and future all revolve around the family winery and she is anxious to be an integral contributor to the family’s heritage and legacy.”
