ROTARY CLUB OF GILROY
GARLIC FESTIVAL’S NEW WINE GARDEN
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present
are certain to miss the future.” John F. Kennedy
The 2017 Gilroy Garlic Festival promised a Bigger, Better, Bolder Gilroy Garlic Festival…and
in many ways it was! Giada De Laurentiis was a hit on the Cookoff Stage. Local chef, Carlos
Pineda from Rebekah Children’s Services, won the Iron Chef-style “Garlic Showdown.” The
Festival garnered an entry in the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest garlic festival
with the 2011 Festival having an attendance of 109,067. The 2017 Festival almost hit the
103 thousand mark, not a new record but an improvement from 2016. The 2017 Festival
also had some big name music, an official Kansas City BBQ contest, a new children’s area and
a new wine area.
The new Rotary Wine Garden had some Rotarians worried that this major fundraiser
would be too radical a departure from the tried and true Rotary Wine Tent. From all indica-
tors the new bigger, better, bolder Wine Garden was a hit. Gross revenues were up over 35
percent. While final bills have yet to be paid and net revenues have still to be calculated,
the revenues from this Rotary Fundraiser look good. The proceeds will go into the Rotary
Endowment which benefits local Rotary projects, scholarships and grants.
Another great indicator was that there were fewer cases of wine left over, several winer-
ies ran out of wine and some wineries that had not participated in the past said they would
be in next year . Winemakers and owners who visited the Garden commented favorably on
the layout, the crowds, and the buzz. One even noted that it felt like being at a big winery
party. Some wineries, during the Garlic Festival Weekend, noticed customers at the winery
with fliers from the Rotary Wine Garden.
Operation Share Life was also successful at the new location. They signed up 250 poten-
tial donors with 45 percent of those being minorities who are underrepresented in the bone
marrow registry. Operation Share Life is part of the international “Be the Match” program
which is a global leader in bone marrow transplantation conducting research to improve
transplant outcomes, provide support and resources for patients, and partner with a global
network.
The Rotary Wine Garden also had a positive impact in an unexpected area. For mixed
couples, that is where one drinks wine and the other beer, the Wine Garden allowed them
to stay together and enjoy the shade, misters, wine and beer. Another positive was the
continuing flow of people through the Wine Garden. In the old Wine Pavilion, there was only
one entrance and visitors sometimes camped out in the cool of the tent. In the 2017 Wine
Garden, there seemed to be plenty of interaction and movement of people in and out of the
area. Most movement was accompanied by a big smile and “Salute” or “Salud” or “Cheers”
or “Campai” or “Prost” or “Cin Cin” or “Saude” or“Proost” or “A votre sante” or “Sláinte”
or simply “Enjoy.”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Jill Fortino, Fortino Winery, readies
for a new day at the Wine Garden.
Booth fronts painted by Whitney
Pintello, Gilroy Rotary President.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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