VASCM: Viticulture & Winery History Exhibit at Forbes Mill Museum, Los Gatos - preview this weekend

[Muns Vineyard]

The Forbes Mill History Museum in Los Gatos will open the new exhibit on 
the history of our local vineyards and wineries this weekend, June 13-14 
with a preview focusing on the history of The Novitiate winery and 
vineyards in Los Gatos. We were able to bring in some wonderful photos 
and memorabilia going back over 100 years from the archives at Santa 
Clara University.  There will be wine tasting this weekend for $5, and 
the Museum will be a stop on the Vintners Festival circuit, so if you 
have a glass for the event, come on by and check out the exhibit.

We need more time to organize the full exhibit (description below), with 
the grand opening on July 19, so mark your calendar. The VASCM is 
providing a slide show depicting the seasons in the vineyard, and 
another showing our local vineyards. We got a wonderful response from a 
number of VASCM members who have provided artifacts for the exhibit. 
Lawrence Ives is loaning a champagne corker from the old Paul Masson 
champagne cellars, and thank you to everyone who made a contribution. If 
anyone has something for the exhibit, or if you would like to help in 
any way, contact the Museum's administrative office at 408-395-7386. 

- Mary Lindsay
408-234-2079 (cell)


Here is a description of the exhibit:

The vineyards and wineries of the Santa Clara Valley and Santa Cruz 
Mountains have been pivotal to the California wine industry for 200 
years.  In the boom years of the 1890s*,* 12,000 acres of vineyards 
stretched from the Almaden Valley to Cupertino and northward in the 
Santa Clara Valley. An additional 2000 acres spread upwards into the 
Santa Cruz Mountains. Through the decades*,* the local wine industry has 
gone through booms and busts along with the economic fortunes of the 
times, temperance, prohibition, and changes in public tastes. Vineyards 
have waxed and waned with bounty, disease, misfortune, and 
suburbanization. Today, there are about 1500 acres of winegrapes and 
over 70 bonded wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and 37 in the Santa 
Clara Valley. Over the past two centuries*,* both regions have been 
tremendously influential in the creation of today's premium wines 
through improved viticultural techniques and emphasis on premium 
winegrapes and wines.  These local vineyards and artisan wineries are 
largely family-owned, as many were a century ago, and are an important 
part of the economic livelihood and fabric of the community. 
Additionally, there are many home winemakers who make wine for personal 
consumption.

This exhibit at the Forbes Mill Museum commemorates the history of our 
local wine and viticultural heritage, its colorful and influential 
personalities, and the legacy that continues today with our local 
wineries. The region surrounding Los Gatos has been home to some of the 
most important wineries and vintners in California's history, and many 
more whose impact is still felt today.  The exhibit traces the influence 
of the many French, German, and Italian immigrants to the 'Valley of 
Heart's Delight' and its surrounding mountain communities, starting with 
the* *founding of Mission Santa Clara and extending into the modern 
period.*  *Featured vintners from the 1800s include: Charles LeFranc, 
founder of Almaden Winery; Paul Masson, founder of the champagne house 
under his name (now home to the Mountain Winery); the Novitiate Winery 
in Los Gatos founded by the Jesuits, and many* *others.  From the 1900s, 
notable vintners include: Peter Lint in Los Gatos, who won a Grand Prize 
at the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915; and Martin Ray, whose 
innovation and legacy pushed vintners to improve wine quality to its 
current high standards. More recently, a group of local winemakers who 
have predominated the modern era who have helped define the Santa Cruz 
Mountains and Santa Clara Valley as premium winegrape growing regions 
producing world-class wines.

The Forbes Mill History Museum is at 75 Church St., Los Gatos. 
www.museumsoflosgatos.org/History 
<http://www.museumsoflosgatos.org/History> . This weekend, June 13-14, 
the Museum will be a stop for Vintners Festival and will preview the 
exhibit with a focus on the history of The Novitiate Winery in Los 
Gatos, with artifacts and photos from the archives at Santa Clara 
University. Local wineries will provide a wine tasting open to all 
visitors this weekend for a $5 tasting fee.

The Grand Opening reception will be July 19, 1-4:00pm, with wine tasting 
featuring local wineries. As well, the Museum is participating in the 
2^nd Saturdays in Los Gatos,  on July 11 and August 8, with wine tasting 
by local wineries and a chance to view the full exhibit. The exhibit 
will run through the end of the year. Hours are Wed.- Sun., 12-4:00.