You probably know California has wine regions. You might not know you're living in one.

Santa Clara Valley is an official American Viticultural Area. Has been since 1981. The 30-mile loop through Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San Martin connects over 30 wineries, most of them small, family-run, and producing wines you can't buy at Safeway.

We didn't know any of this when we moved here. Then a neighbor invited us to a tasting at Solis Winery and we spent the next two months working our way through the list. Here's what we found.

Most of South Valley's wineries cluster along Hecker Pass Road heading west out of Gilroy toward the Santa Cruz Mountains. The road is beautiful. Vineyards on both sides, oaks, rolling hills. On a weekday afternoon you might be the only car.

Fortino Winery is the one everyone starts with. Big tasting room, wide patio, bocce courts. It feels more like a gathering spot than a serious wine operation, which is the point. The wines are fine. The atmosphere is the reason you go.

Solis Winery in Hecker Pass is where we became regulars. Smaller, quieter, better wines than you'd expect from a place this casual. Their Sangiovese is genuinely good. Tasting fee is $10 and they waive it if you buy a bottle.

Kirigin Cellars has one of the prettiest properties in the valley. Old stone buildings, massive trees, a lawn where people bring picnic blankets on weekends. The wine is uneven (some vintages are great, some are forgettable) but the setting makes up for it.

Guglielmo Winery on Main Avenue in Morgan Hill has been around since 1925. Family-run, four generations. The tasting room has old photos on the walls and the staff will talk your ear off about the family history if you let them. Good Petite Sirah.

Martin Ranch Winery in the hills above San Martin is a small operation that makes seriously good wine. Harder to find, worth the drive. Call ahead because their tasting room hours are limited.

Clos LaChance is the biggest operation in Morgan Hill. Event space, regular concerts, a nice patio. More polished than the Hecker Pass wineries. Good for a date night or bringing out-of-town guests who expect a wine region to look like a wine region.

Most tasting rooms are open Thursday through Sunday. Some are by appointment only. Google the hours before you drive.

Tasting fees run $10 to $20, usually waived with a bottle purchase. Bring cash to the smaller places.

The wines are mostly warm-climate varietals: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Grenache. You're not going to find Pinot Noir or Chardonnay that rivals Sonoma. That's not what this region does. What it does is big, fruit-forward reds that pair with grilled meat, which is convenient since half these wineries let you bring a picnic.

Our standard recommendation for people who just moved here: start at Solis, drive the Hecker Pass loop, stop at two or three places, and bring a cooler. You'll buy more bottles than you planned. That's how it works.

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