Eat, Drink, Savor: Morgan Hill winery celebrates San Benito grapes

Lea este artículo en español aquí .

Janu Arasu of Alara Cellars took what may be the least direct journey to becoming a winemaker. Born in Morgan Hill, Arasu has been, in turn, a student at the University of San Francisco, a fashion designer with a line of cocktail dresses made from Indian saris, a weather forecaster for KRON-TV, and the star of two Bollywood films, the names of which she would rather not divulge.

“I did not speak the language,” she said. “This guy who spoke fluent English was kind of assigned to me. He would be on the side during shooting, just yelling the lines at me. During the second film, I was in an accident and had to learn to walk again. It was a humbling experience.”

Arasu said neither film is worth searching for: “I saw one, and if I weren’t in it, I would have walked out of the theater.”

Somewhere along the way, she met and married her former husband, Jason Goelz of Jason-Stephens Winery, who taught her how to make wine. She opened Alara’s first tasting room in The Stomping Grounds in Gilroy, currently the Atelier des Savants Fous custom crush facility.

“I would go to trade shows with him,” she said. “Until I met him, I was more of a consumer. Then I started to enjoy the industry. I took over his tasting room, helped at harvest, and he started giving me more responsibilities like, ‘Do you want to make this Merlot?’  ‘Sure, I’ll try it.’”

Arasu said she had always enjoyed creating flavors while cooking and takes a palate-driven approach to winemaking.

“Some people might pay more attention to the science and the measurements,” she said. But Jason taught me how to taste the grape to determine when you pick it. It was kind of a boot camp way of learning.”

After opening Alara without formal training, Arasu decided to take a more conventional approach by attending UC Davis to study viticulture and enology.

“I tried to do it for street cred,” she said. “But I did a horrible job. I already knew the answers, and my professors would tell me, ‘You’re right, but you need to cite your sources.’ I didn’t understand what they meant.  I mean, right’s right. It was all too dry for me.”

Arasu takes a singular approach to her labels, designed by Malene Grotrian, who tries to capture the spirit of each wine in fashion terms. Every label features sketches of dress designs that Grotrian dreams up from Arasu’s impressions of the vintage.

“I came up with the idea of telling her what the wines would look like if they were dresses,” Arasu said. “It was inspired by a Coco Chanel watercolor sketch I saw. Each label is a custom illustration to personify the wine.”

It is an interactive process where Arasu gives Grotrian an idea of the structure and character, which is then translated into the final design.

“For example,” Arasu said, “with the 2019 Sangiovese. I said notes of raspberry, violets, and red plums, and maybe a three-quarter length structured cocktail dress. Not too formal since it is a medium-bodied wine, and I want it to be whimsical.”

Arasu sources much of her fruit from San Benito County, drawing her grapes from vineyards like Gemelli and Siletto.

“Ron Siletto was a good friend to me,” she said. “He had all this fruit available, something like 36 different varietals including cabernet pfeffer and negrette, which are hard to find. He would ask me, ‘Do you want some of this or that,’ because he had extra. I was just doing small lots, so I would take it.”

Arasu said she particularly enjoys working with some of the more obscure grapes and appreciates the reaction they get from wine club members and visitors.

“They are kind of a conversation piece here,” she said. “I love getting people to try something they’ve never had before. Whenever people get to the negrette in our tasting flights, you can see their faces light up. It’s just fun.”

The Wines of Alara Cellars

2023 Albariño ($39) – “I personally like Albariño because it has that natural salinity to it,” Arasu said. “It tastes like an ocean breeze to me.” It has an aroma of green apples, lemon, and lime with a crisp grapefruit acid and Arasu’s saltiness. It lingers on the palate and then floats away with a light acid finish. It is a refreshing wine and cries out for a plate of fish tacos or a seafood platter.

2023 Grenache Rose ($37) The light aroma is inviting, part floral, part nectarine. The taste is white peaches and green mangoes with a nice minerality that gives it an unexpected body. It is a soft, pretty wine that lingers on the palate, with a bright acid coming from behind in the finish. Add toasted sourdough, some soft cheese and a pile of prosciutto, and you’ve got a perfect last-picnic-of-the-year treat.

2021 Grenache ($55) “This is the lightest body grenache I have ever made,” Arasu said. “But it stays varietally specific to grenache. It smells like a grenache. It tastes like a grenache. It kind of looks like a grenache. But it is not an in-your-face grenache like ones I have made before.” The aroma is leather and coffee grounds with a hint of pepper. Layers of dried sweet currents, oak, and cocoa powder swirl on the palate—Arasu says it reminds her of dried raspberry fruit roll-ups. Light tannins and acids dissolve into a smooth, clean finish. This is an elegant sipping wine, but it could stand up to a ribeye. This was my favorite of the tasting.

2021 Cabernet Franc ($57) “I feel like ‘pretty’ is a consistent word for my wines,” Arasu said. “Maybe that is the difference with female winemakers.” With an aroma like dried rose petals and sweet tobacco, this wine revels in dark dried plums and an undercurrent of oak. There is a bit of earthiness, a bit of sweet spice. It is, indeed, a pretty wine; silky and smooth, with a gorgeous finish that immediately makes you want more. This one is a must-try.

The Alara Cellars tasting room is open daily from 12- 6 p.m. at 90 E. 3rd St. Suite 70 in Morgan Hill.  Arasu can be contacted at info@alaracellars.com .

Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.

BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market , for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.

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