More than 1,000 people joined the 13th annual Downtown Morgan Hill Wine Stroll Saturday for a taste of local wines, local merchandise, live music and more under warm and sunny skies. With wine glasses in hand, attendees were able to stroll downtown streets, sample a variety of wines from 22 wineries, stop for a bite at a lengthy list of restaurants—many with outdoor seating—while mingling with friends, family and the community of Morgan HIll.
“We came here today with a lot of friends — two from out of state — and it’s the perfect day for a wine stroll,” said Wine Stroll attendee Gina Allaert. “I’ve been in Morgan Hill for 24 years and we’ve come to the Wine Stroll many times. It’s a great event to share with others. Today I’m focused on sampling chardonnay; and yes, there are some great ones.”
Wine sampling sites included Sinoloa Cafe, Morgan Hill Barbershop, Pono Wellness, Cigarland, Giorgio’s, Sushi Confidential, Bloom, Urbn Ranch, Rosy’s at the Beach and more.
Sprinkled around town at various venues were live bands, including Elima and Encore of the Bay Area and Undercover.
Lori Allen, events planner for the Morgan Hill Downtown Association who hosted the event, said all 1,200 tickets for the April 29 stroll sold quickly.
“We added an extra 30 tickets for last minute folks and those went right away,” she said. “It’s a great crowd again and a beautiful day. There are 22 wineries and 22 merchants and venues taking part this year. With the weather and wonderful folks taking part, it just couldn’t be any better.”
Victor Strickler and Kasey Loomis of Morgan Hill said they were lucky to find a comfortable seat in the back lot of Rosy’s at the Beach where they sampled wines from Little Uvas Vineyards as they soaked in the live tunes of the band, Elima, in the midst of a large crowd.
“It’s the perfect spot,” Loomis said as she clinked glasses with Strickler. “Cheers.”
Allen added that the annual Brew Crawl is on the calendar Sept. 16, which also unfolds in downtown Morgan Hill. Proceeds from the Wine Stroll will help pay for the Downtown Twinkle Lights and other amenities downtown.
