About Us
Miramar Vineyards
Our small, family-owned Miramar Vineyards and Winery are nestled on ten pastoral acres in the eastern foothills of San Martin, California, about 30 miles south of San Jose.
We handcraft very limited bottlings of wine by sourcing grapes predominantly from our estate and the Santa Clara Valley appellation, using traditional, small-lot techniques.
Balancing a fun, casual atmosphere with serious winemaking, Miramar Vineyards makes a delightful, weekend outing from Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. We assure you that serious winemaking does not need to equal an intimidating experience. We welcome you for relaxed, delicious wine tastings and events on select Saturday and Sunday afternoons throughout the year.
The Santa Clara Valley AVA
Santa Clara Valley was officially designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1989, however its winemaking history goes way back to the mid-1800s. By 1883, the county had almost 15,000 acres of vines and over 100 wineries.
You can understand why early winemaking pioneers came here. We have warm, dry summer days that ripen rich flavors in the grapes, while cool, often foggy nights retain nicely balanced acidity. Santa Cruz Mountains, on the west side, protect the Santa Clara Valley from the chilly ocean conditions, while the Diablo Range to the east blocks the much hotter interior temperatures of the San Joaquin Valley. During the long growing season, prevailing northwest winds also keep the temperatures moderate, as well as providing good air circulation around the clusters to keep them healthy and free of molds and mildew.
Our Vineyard
Our 10-acre-site (3.5-acres planted) is located at the base of the Diablo Mountain Range, on the eastern side of the Santa Clara Valley. The mesoclimate, exposure and clay loam soils of our vineyard are well suited for grapes originally from Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley of France, as well as Italy. So we’ve planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Sangiovese.
This terroir, a word often used to describe the natural elements of a site, gives our Miramar red wines their abundant fruit expression and softer tannin structure. These characteristics make them more approachable at an earlier age than their counterparts grown in other notable regions; they also show an inherent freshness in both the aromas and flavors.
Since Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines prefer chillier temperatures than are here in Santa Clara Valley, we buy these two grapes varieties from Monterey County. The abundant Pacific Ocean wind and cold fog there develop vibrantly flavored Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes; thus, we’ve teamed-up with a couple of high quality grape growers to furnish these Burgundian varieties. As each section of our vineyard reaches optimum maturity, we hand-harvest the grapes and immediately bring them into the winery.