In 2013, Ness Peneyra was online planning a family trip to Disneyland when he came across a house with a vineyard off Southside Road. He told BenitoLink he didn't even tour the property in person before calling to make an offer. Thirteen years later, the grapes from that hillside are in bottles on San Benito Street.
That bottle is a good guide to Hollister's late fall in 2026. Through November, this year's harvest shows up in a glass downtown, on a plate off Pacheco Pass Highway, and in a row of decorated trees outside the Veterans' Memorial Building. Here's where to find it, in roughly the order it happens.
A grenache from vines older than most of the town's storefronts
Peneyra Winery's first release is a 2023 Old Vine Grenache from his home vineyard. The vineyard covers part of the old Almaden Vineyards, which operated in the area for 70 years and once spread across 100 acres. Almaden used it to test new varietals. All that's left of the original old vines on Peneyra's land is four acres of grenache, more than 60 years old and grafted onto cabernet rootstock.
For years Peneyra sold his fruit to wineries from Napa to Paso Robles. He held back the 2023 harvest because, as he told BenitoLink, selling grapes wasn't bringing in enough to keep the vineyard sustainable. Most local wineries couldn't take a load as small as his three tons. Al DeRose of DeRose Winery agreed to crush and blend it. DeRose described the finished wine to BenitoLink like this:
"It's nice and fruit-forward, with kind of a medium body. Very approachable. You could lay it down for six, maybe eight years, but it's meant to be drunk young and enjoyed with food."
Peneyra made just 180 cases, so it isn't sold in many places. Crave Wine Company sells it by the bottle, and Cosmos and Paine's pour it by the glass. At 180 cases, the wine won't be around long, and fall is a good time to try it.
Crave's 20-mile rule
Crave Wine Company is at 616 San Benito St. Mike Kohne, who runs it, built a wine club called The 20 Club. It's a quarterly selection of wines sourced within 20 miles of the shop. Kohne told BenitoLink the goal is to be "that home base for the wines that are made from grapes that are grown here."
The shop's October Thirsty Thursday shows how much is grown close by. Alongside the Peneyra grenache, the lineup included the As One Cru 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Paicines Project, Ghostnote's 2024 Grave Coast Blanc from Gist Vineyard and 2024 Sagrantino from Siletto Vineyard, Kobza's 2022 Red Field Blend from Wirz Vineyard, and Schema's 2025 Aligoté from Calleri Vineyard. Those October tastings are over now. The shop's events page lists upcoming Thirsty Thursdays and the Crave Book Club.
Seventy percent from the farm, ordered at a kiosk
A short drive out Pacheco Pass Highway, the same idea is on the menu. The Grove opened in 2013 as a farm-to-table restaurant on Frank Léal's Léal Vineyards estate and closed during the pandemic. It reopened this summer as MOHI at the Grove, according to the Hollister Free Lance.
Léal told the Free Lance that about 70% of the food now comes from his own farms. He has been growing row crops for about three years, and roughly 140 chickens on site supply eggs for the breakfast menu. The menu follows the seasons, from pizzas and salads to specials that have ranged from banh mi to chile verde.
If you remember the old Grove, the service is the biggest change. Guests now order at self-service touchscreen kiosks while cocktail servers handle drinks. Léal said full table service would mean enough staff to manage 400 people on the patio. Here are the details for planning a visit as the weather cools:
- Days: Friday through Sunday, with brunch on Sundays. Léal plans to add Thursdays as staffing allows.
- Music: Bands and DJs play several nights a week, and acoustic sets move indoors once the outdoor patio season ends for the year.
- Hours: The Free Lance points readers to the restaurant's website and social media pages for current hours.
Last weekend in the pumpkin field
If pumpkins are still on your list, you have until Saturday. The Swank Farms Fall Festival runs through Saturday, October 31, at 4751 Pacheco Hwy. The farm's posted schedule gives the season's last three days different hours:
| Day | Date | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | October 29 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Friday | October 30 | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Saturday | October 31 | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
The longer Friday and Saturday hours mean you can stop by after work or after trick-or-treating. Visit San Benito lists prices from $17 to $78, depending on what you choose.
For trick-or-treating closer to downtown, the Seniors Council events calendar lists the City of Hollister's free Trick or Treat Street for Friday, October 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. downtown, with costumes, candy and family activities. Check the City of Hollister's announcements for the exact blocks before you head out.
A trail to watch in November
After October, the outdoors becomes the main draw. At Hollister Hills SVRA, the Nature Area is closed on all trails for repairs. California State Parks estimates it will reopen in November 2026. Mudstone Ranch, the park's other hiking and cycling area, is listed as open. Reopening dates are estimates, and the park warns that trail conditions can change at any minute, so check the conditions table before you load the car.
Where the Dec-A-Tree trees go next
The harvest thread ends downtown. For the 36th Annual Lights On Celebration, local nonprofit groups will decorate more than 30 trees in front of the Veterans' Memorial Building at 649 San Benito Street. Bourdet's Christmas Trees donates them. Once the display is over, the trees go to San Benito County families who need them. Each tree you walk past on Vets Plaza is headed for someone's living room in the county.
Here's the downtown calendar from Veterans Day to the parade:
- November 11, 11 a.m.: The Veterans' Day Celebration at the Veterans Memorial Building Plaza, according to the Hollister Downtown Association.
- November 27 and 28: The Lights On Boutique, with more than 30 artisan food, craft and goods vendors, plus coffee and cocoa. Kids can enjoy face painting, balloons, crafts, special guests and letters to Santa.
- Saturday, November 28, all day: Dec-A-Tree on display at Vets Plaza.
- Saturday, November 28, 5:30 p.m.: The Lights On Celebration parade on San Benito Street. The HDA's dedicated Lights On page names this year's theme as The Nutcracker, while its general events page lists The Characters of Christmas, so check with the HDA before planning costumes. The parade will feature displays by Ray Pulver of Upbeat Parade Productions.
The parade is free. The HDA is asking people to bring canned food or toys, which it collects at its office at 350 Sixth St., Suite 102. The association also suggests parking once and walking, so you can eat and shop at downtown merchants before or after the parade and see the decorated storefronts. If you'd like your family's name on San Benito Street this season, the HDA sponsors 36-inch lighted wreaths on the pedestrian light poles for $60 for one year or $100 for two. Space is limited.
To keep the theme going, pick up a bottle of the Peneyra grenache at Crave a few doors from the parade route, or plan a Sunday brunch out at MOHI at the Grove.
At Karen Nelsen & Stephanie Alanis, we love seeing South County neighbors back the farms, vineyards and downtown merchants that make this season feel local. If you're making plans around Lights On weekend and want a local suggestion, or you'd simply like to talk about Hollister, we'd be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.
