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My brother is one of those enviable souls who lives in Napa and pours wine on the weekend for one of the wineries there. So when I visit, he likes to take me around to any one of the 400 or so wineries in the area. I enjoy the great wines and beautiful scenery of Napa, but I believe that our wine region has so much more to offer. Here are my top 10 reasons why our wineries are superior:
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10.We don’t need a reservation to go wine tasting.
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9.Wine tasting fees here are nominal. In Napa, it is common to pay $20 to $50—or more—per person. In contrast, our wineries charge between $5 and $10.
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8.Our wineries encourage you to bring a picnic. Not so in Napa—bringing in your own food is usually not permitted at Napa wineries.
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7.You can get married at your favorite winery. Not in Napa. Only three Napa wineries have been “grandfathered” in to host weddings.
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6.There isn’t a snootiness factor. Our wineries are far more down-to-earth and friendly.
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5. You can talk to the winemaker. In Napa, winemakers leave their employees to run their tasting rooms.
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4.We have bocce ball. I haven’t found one Napa winery with a bocce ball court.
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3.We have history. The Santa Clara Valley was the very first premier wine-producing region in California.
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2.They are right here in our own backyard.
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1.Our best wines rival those of Napa. Year after year, Santa Clara Valley wines take home top awards from all the major wine competitions—and they are much more affordable.
