On Saturday, October 10, Solis Winery starts a run of afternoon "Music in the Vineyard" sets at 3920 Hecker Pass Highway. They go from 1 to 4 p.m. with no admission fee, and they continue on weekends until Sunday, November 29. Sarah's Vineyard is a short way up the road at 4005 Hecker Pass Highway. Its Friday night music has no cover charge, and its October Tuesdays are two-for-one tastings. On Watsonville Road, Kirigin Cellars runs guided tastings for $10 per small group, every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Taken as a whole, the fall calendar on these two roads costs little. Most of it is free to attend or close to it, and very little of it needs advance planning. The one ticketed, organized weekend is the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley Fall Passport at $55. Everything else fits into an ordinary week. The newest stop on the corridor was built around exactly that idea.
What's new on Watsonville Road
This summer, Twice Tyger opened a seasonal "satellite" tasting room at 11775 Watsonville Road. The Gilroy Dispatch reported on it on August 10, 2026. The room first had limited weekday hours. It is now open Thursday through Monday, takes walk-ins and is designed to be casual and family-friendly, according to Mike Kohne, the winery's director of sales and marketing.
"It's a much more casual, relaxed environment," Kohne told the Dispatch. "It is not by reservation. It's just walk-in: we have set hours, and people can walk in and we'll take care of them."
The room sits in a facility leased from the Dorcich family. Twice Tyger has made its wine there for about three years, taking over the winery as Dorcich Family Vineyard stepped back from production. Kirigin Cellars is on the same road at 11550 Watsonville Road, so one afternoon can easily cover both.
The vineyard behind the label is about five miles away. Owner Bill Rataul founded Paramit, a medical technology company based in Morgan Hill. He bought the 30-acre property in 2019 and planted it the following year. The land had been farmed since at least 1895 and was most recently an alfalfa field with heavily depleted soil. The winery farms regeneratively, with no fertilizers of any kind. It relies on cover crops, grazing sheep and natural soil-building, and Rataul said the soil's organic content has risen from about half a percent to more than 2%.
The pours are mostly Bordeaux-style reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. Newly planted Malbec and Zinfandel are coming along, and a Pinot Gris and a Sauvignon Blanc are planned for first release next year. Winemaker Bobby Graviano has 16 years of experience at wineries in Los Gatos, Cupertino and Soquel, plus one harvest in Australia.
The current room is temporary. Twice Tyger has spent more than two years working with Santa Clara County on plans for a production building and a tasting pavilion on its estate. It expects to break ground within the next several months, and construction should take about 18 months. The goal is to bring the 2027 harvest into the new facility. The planned pavilion puts the tasting room above the vineyard, with case and barrel storage half a floor underground and a small kitchen for food pairings. That means the Watsonville Road room is the way to try these wines until at least 2027.
The low-cost calendar, Hecker Pass Highway first
Here are the dated events from now through Thanksgiving weekend, taken from each winery's own posted schedule:
| Date | Winery | Event | Cost or access as posted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 8, 5–8 p.m. | Sarah's Vineyard | Monthly late night, Halloween wine bottle painting | Reservations via Tock, 21+ |
| Fri., Oct. 9, doors 5:30 p.m. | Sarah's Vineyard | Wine, Dine & Dance with Lyon & The Truth, tacos by R&R Tacos | No cover, first come, 21+ |
| Tuesdays in October, 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | Sarah's Vineyard | Tasting Twosdays | 2-for-1 tastings, walk-ins welcome |
| Weekends, Oct. 10 through Nov. 29, 1–4 p.m. | Solis Winery | Music in the Vineyard | No admission fee |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Martin Ranch Winery | Music series with the Mitchell James Band | Listed by Visit Gilroy |
| Sat.–Sun., Oct. 24–25 | Ten Santa Clara Valley wineries | Fall Passport | $55 |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 7–10 p.m. | Fortino Winery | Girl's Night Out, Halloween theme | Check with winery |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Fortino Winery | Halloween wine club social and pickup | Check with winery |
| Sun., Nov. 8, 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m. | Sarah's Vineyard | Holiday Sip & Shop | Details to follow |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Fortino Winery | Fortino Family Friendsgiving | Check with winery |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 21–22 | Fortino Winery | 23rd Annual Fall Market | Check with winery |
Solis has music on 16 afternoons between October 10 and November 29, all with no admission fee. Solis posts a few house rules. All events are weather permitting, outside food is discouraged to support the winery's caterer, and outside alcohol is not permitted. It is also closed for a private event on Saturday, November 7. On ordinary days the tasting room is open daily from noon to 5 p.m., except on major holidays.
Sarah's Vineyard has the busiest October on the corridor. The Friday music is first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and music runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and ends promptly. Tasting Twosdays turns a Tuesday afternoon into a two-for-one tasting, and the winery invites guests to bring a picnic and stay. The October 8 late night is part of a series held on the second Thursday of each month, with wine by the glass or bottle and guests bringing their own snacks or dinner. Regular hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The winery recommends reservations but welcomes walk-ins.
Fortino Winery, at 4525 Hecker Pass Highway, keeps the most concentrated schedule. Its tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. and closed Monday through Wednesday. Holiday hours vary, and the winery asks guests to call (408) 842-3305. Its event pages list dates but not full details, so a call before November's Friendsgiving or Fall Market is the surest way to learn what's open to the public.
Hecker Pass Winery, at 4605 Hecker Pass Highway, has been family-owned since 1972 and is known for full-bodied, Italian-style reds. Its own site lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A visitor listing elsewhere shows 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so it's worth calling before a late-afternoon stop.
Where the $55 Passport fits
Against that baseline, the Fall Passport on Saturday and Sunday, October 24–25, is the one weekend built around a ticket. For $55, a passport holder gets one passport tasting at each of ten participating wineries, with two wines poured at each stop. The wineries are Cinnabar Winery, Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards, CordeValle Winery, Cottage Creek Vineyards, Lion Ranch Vineyards & Winery, Miramar Vineyards, Sarah's Vineyard, Satori Cellars, Twice Tyger and Verde Vineyards.
Check-in works like this:
- Buy the passport through the association's Fall Passport page.
- At your first winery, any of the ten, show the Eventbrite QR code to check in and pick up a lanyard.
- Visit the rest in any order over both days.
Some wineries add their own extras, such as new releases, harvest activities, food, live music or bottle specials. An optional Secret Word Sweepstakes runs alongside the tastings. Each winery has a secret word, and collecting enough of them can win a prize. No wine purchase, tasting or consumption is required to get a word.
Three of the ten have Gilroy addresses: Sarah's Vineyard on Hecker Pass Highway, Twice Tyger on Watsonville Road and Satori Cellars at 2100 Buena Vista Avenue. The rest of that Saturday stays free nearby. Solis has music from 1 to 4 p.m. on both October 24 and 25 with no admission fee. Fortino's Halloween-themed Girl's Night Out starts at 7 p.m. on the 24th. A passport weekend can include free stops and paid stops on the same day without much driving.
Matching the stop to the day of the week
Because posted hours vary, the day often decides which stop works best.
- Monday: Twice Tyger is open. Sarah's Vineyard, Solis and Kirigin also post daily hours. Fortino is closed Monday through Wednesday.
- Tuesday in October: Sarah's Tasting Twosdays, two-for-one, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Twice Tyger is closed.
- Wednesday: Kirigin's $10 guided tasting, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Solis from noon.
- Thursday and Friday: Fortino opens at noon and Twice Tyger reopens. Fridays at Sarah's bring evening music in October.
- Saturday and Sunday: Solis music from 1 to 4 p.m. on most weekends through November 29. Satori Cellars pours from noon to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Martin Ranch Winery, at 6675 Redwood Retreat Road, keeps a narrower schedule. It is open the first and third Friday through Sunday of each month, from noon to 5 p.m. The winery recommends reservations but welcomes walk-ins. Its October 17 music date falls on a third Saturday.
Kirigin is the stop for anyone who wants to see more of the vines. Vineyard tours there are by appointment. Larger groups at Sarah's Vineyard, more than eight people, are asked to email [email protected] first.
Into November
After Halloween, the calendar turns to shopping and family-style gatherings. Sarah's Vineyard holds its Holiday Sip & Shop on Sunday, November 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with wine, music, food and local artisan vendors. Vendors can still apply through the winery's events page. Fortino follows with Friendsgiving on November 14 and its 23rd Annual Fall Market on November 21–22. Solis keeps its free afternoon music going through Thanksgiving weekend, with sets on November 27, 28 and 29.
Several events, including Sarah's Friday music and late night, are 21 and over only. Every winery posts its own rules on reservations and ages, so it's worth checking the winery's page or calling before heading out. That goes double for Twice Tyger, whose published hours are its days of the week only.
If one of these weekends on Hecker Pass or Watsonville Road gets you thinking about a home with vineyard views or a little acreage on Gilroy's west side, Karen Nelsen & Stephanie Alanis would be glad to walk you through those roads and the properties along them. Contact Us when you're ready to talk.
