By Khalida Sarwari
With the cold days of January approaching, wine aficionados may be happy to know there is evidence indicating that drinking a glass or two of wine can help beat a cold. It is all the more reason to get out to the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Saratoga on Jan. 22, where folks can taste wine and learn about local grape growing.
The event, presented by the Saratoga Historical Foundation, will feature Charles Sullivan, a wine and viticulture historian, for a talk on “The History of Winegrowing in the Foothills of the Santa Clara Valley.” Sullivan, who is renowned for his stories and opinions about wine and winemaking, is expected to focus on the history of growing grapes on the west side and in the foothills of the valley with an emphasis on the Saratoga area.
Annette Stransky, president of the Saratoga Historical Foundation, a nonprofit group that operates the Saratoga History Museum, noted that Sullivan will bring the viticultural history of the region to life with stories from the founding of Mission Santa Clara in 1777 to the 1980s.
“He covers the phylloxera epidemic, which almost ended wine-growing locally, the impact of Prohibition of the 1920s and the later growth of the wineries,” Stransky said. “Many pioneer vineyardists for whom streets are named and local landmarks populate his presentation. His talk is a fascinating look at the growth of the wine industry locally–the personalities and the challenges.”
The author has been studying California wine history for more than 30 years and has written several books on the topic, as well as more than 100 articles for wine, food and history journals, including Wine Spectator, Wines and Vines, Vintage Magazine, California Historical Quarterly and the Journal of the American Wine Society.
Sullivan will have copies of his book, Like Modern Edens, available for purchase, which he will autograph after the lecture.
The lecture is free, but the wine tasting will cost $15. The tasting will include wines from Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, House Family Winery, Guglielmo Winery and the Mountain Winery.
The wine-tasting portion of the event is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the lecture at 7:30 p.m. The event is open to all and will be held in the fellowship hall at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 14103 Saratoga Ave.
Saratoga’s wine-growing past just one part of historian’s talk
