With more than 50 bonded wineries in southern Santa Clara County, there are plenty of reasons to keep your wine purchases local.
Morgan Hill residents Heather Gallegos and Christina Perez have been friends for over 30 years and have done lots of international travel. With their unique Morgan Hill Wine Trolley, they’ve got their sights set on making your local wine journey through the Valley of the Heart’s Delight memorable and fun.
“We’ve traveled all over the world together, exploring and appreciating the history,” said Gallegos.
“Heather is the organized one,” added Perez, who usually comes up with the destination while Gallegos plans the logistics.
“But we knew little about the wineries in our backyard,” said Gallegos. “When we tried to plan local wine tasting tours with existing transportation services, it proved challenging. That’s when Christina said, ‘This is a missing feature in our area!’ and that sparked the idea for the wine trolley.”
The two founded El Toro Tours LLC, the parent company for the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley brand. The centerpiece is a fully restored San Francisco cable car replica built in 2000 by the Classic Cable Car company.
Capable of seating up to 30 passengers, the open-air trolley takes visitors on a leisurely 4-to-5-hour tour of three local wineries, through the rolling hills of wine country in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.
Wine tours are offered on weekend afternoons, and private tours can be booked during the week for weddings as well as corporate and private events. Rates start at $375/hour for a minimum of four hours, Monday through Friday.
Weekend tours begin in downtown Morgan Hill with a sparkling wine reception accompanied by light appetizers. Then, they set out for the first winery, followed by a boxed lunch at the second.
By this time, people are in a festive mood, and karaoke is not uncommon by the time they get to the third stop.
“People start out in little groups, and pretty soon, they all get to know each other,” said Gallegos.
The ticket price, which starts at $149 per passenger, includes all tasting fees at the three wineries, plus water and snacks.
Gallegos and Perez pride themselves on the six-person team they’ve assembled to operate the trolley and provide expert tour guide commentary.
“Our team members include school teachers who have been living and working here for decades, so they know the region and its history,” said Gallegos.
Among them are third generation Gilroy resident, Linda Figone, Lead Trolley Driver and also a Gilroy Unified School District school bus supervisor/driver, and Alejandro Flores, who serves as First Tour Guide, and is also a sports broadcaster and a recent graduate of Chapman University.
“Whether we sell two or 20 tickets, the trolley inevitably develops a fun vibe,” said Gallegos.
They’ve hosted several bachelorette parties, and recently, a local gym organized 20 people to go wine tasting.
There are currently18 partner wineries, including Besson, Cinnabar, Cottage Creek, DeRose, EmmaLily, Fernwood Cellars, Fortino, Guglielmo, J Winston, Kirigan, Lion Ranch, Little Uvas, Miramar, MOHI Vineyards, P&V Winery, Sarah’s, Satori and Solis. All the wineries are located in Morgan Hill, San Martin or Gilroy.
Gallegos and Perez seek diversity in the tours, choosing a mix of larger and smaller wineries.
“We’re discovering hidden gems we didn’t even know about,” said Perez. “We have hosted people who have lived in the area for years, and we end up introducing them to something they didn’t know.”
A recent excursion began with a farm tour at the newly opened MOHI Ranch, a Frank Leal property, followed by lunch at Besson Family Vineyards in Gilroy, home of some of the oldest Grenache grapevines in CA, and finished with tasting at Miramar in San Martin.
“We have enjoyed partnering with the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley,” said Denise Besson. “They are bringing visitors to Besson Family Vineyards that may never have come across our winery. It’s ultimately a win-win for everyone.”
The trolley will participate in the Morgan Hill Holiday Parade on Dec. 7.
Gallegos and Perez are also planning a Thanksgiving Recovery Tour on Nov. 29, followed by a Sip Local, Shop Local Trolley Shuttle on Nov. 30, which will include a local winery visit, and a stop at the Makers on the Farm event, with over 40 local vendors, makers and food trucks.
Check out their website for additional tours to be added during the winter months: https://mhwinetrolley.com/.
