Vintners clean up at national wine competition

With wine, there is no in between - it's either love or hate at first taste - and the stamp of approval from a prestigious wine competition isn't going to change anyone's mind when they reach for their favorite bottle.

This from a guy who just added three new medals to his trophy case from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition - the largest competition of American wine in the country.

"No one's ever said to me 'I like this wine … but did it win a gold?'" said Matt Oetinger, wine maker and president of Fernwood Cellars on Redwood Retreat Road. "Either you like it or you don't."

Competing against more than 4,200 other entries, local wineries held their own in the increasingly popular competition. Santa Clara Valley growers brought dozens of medals back from the Cloverdale Citrus Fair, where judging took place earlier this year.

Over the last 30 years, local vintners have worked to make themselves competitive with viticultural giants to the north. From Solis Winery's crisp estate Fiano, which earned Best of Class, to newcomer Satori Cellars' bronze medal wining estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the Santa Clara Valley wineries offer myriad varietals and experiences to the taster looking for something different from the big name wineries of Napa and Sonoma, said Jason Goelz, wine maker and co-owner of Jason Stephens Winery on Watsonville Road

"There's a misperception that we don't have good wines here," Goelz said. "That couldn't be farther from the truth."

Though Jason Stephens only opened its doors in October, Goelz's Cabernets and Syrah brought home two bronze medals and one silver. Like many growers in the valley, his grapes - all of which are grown at the winery - rely on the warm, cloudless days and cool nights for their award winning taste.

The valley's microclimate offers the perfect conditions for growing high quality wine grapes, said Dan Martin, co-owner of Martin Ranch Winery on Redwood Retreat Road.

"The Santa Clara Valley is very underrated," Martin said. "The quality of the fruit produced here is outstanding but it doesn't get the recognition it deserves."

With the medals won comes a powerful marketing tool that creates buzz around an award winning wine, vintners said. But even in tough economic times when people are cutting back on luxuries, there are some things that people won't give up and that's wine, Oetinger said.

"Surprisingly, business is good," he said. "People are feeling put upon by the economy. They're not taking that vacation to Hawaii but they're saying 'Hey, I'm still going to have my wine tonight.' It makes people feel like they're still living a little. We're an affordable luxury."

Other wine makers agreed that the economy hasn't had the effect on their sales they expected. Though Tom and Sandy Moller only opened last September and don't have years of sales records to which they can compare their current volume, Tom Moller said sales have been continually inching up.

"I'm delighted," he said. "We're hoping to continue with more as we get into the summer months."

As for the larger wineries that tend to overshadow the wines produced in the Santa Clara Valley: "They don't have nothing on us," Moller said.