The sign at the end of Hummingbird Lane reads differently this summer, but the Thursday habit around it has not moved. Residents who have been coming out for the free lawn concerts since the Murphys were still pouring know the pattern by muscle memory: park by five, blanket by six, sunset over the vineyards, home by ten.
What has changed is everything around the ritual. Ownership, name, flight pricing, calendar language, even the neighboring tasting rooms have shuffled their own weekly schedules to fit around it. If you live in San Martin and you have not looked at the summer map since 2024, you are working from an out-of-date copy.
The Name On The Gate Is Different Now
The winery most people in the South Valley still call "Clos" is now CordeValle Winery. Founders Bill and Brenda Murphy announced in March 2025 that they had sold Clos LaChance; afterward, the property began operating under the new name "CordeValle Winery," aligning it with the adjacent CordeValle Golf Resort brand.
CordeValle recently bought the neighboring Clos LaChance winery, arguably the best of the local options, and rebranded it under the CordeValle name.
Practically, this means the tasting room now runs on resort logic rather than family-winery logic. Hours run Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the tasting room is closed Monday and Tuesday. Check the calendar for occasional early closures linked to concerts or private events. If you have been in the habit of a spontaneous Sunday afternoon pour, look at the events calendar first. The winery was set to close at 3 pm 6 times in September and 9 times in October for events, mostly weddings.
Flight pricing is now tiered. Standard tasting flights include five wines, with two tiers to choose from. The General Flight is the entry point, and the Designate Flight costs a bit more and includes a take-home logo glass. The General runs $20 for non-members, refundable with a two-bottle purchase; the Designate runs $35, or $20 for club members.
Thursday Is Still The Anchor
The free lawn series carried over from the old ownership. CordeValle's events calendar is a legitimate draw. The free Time for Wine Thursday-night concert series fills the lawn each summer, with sunset sets followed by dancing under the arbor. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs for the grass; a limited number of patio tables are held for higher-tier wine-club members who RSVP online. Food is sold on site, but you can bring your own picnic; outside alcohol is not permitted.
The paid country-music series running alongside it is where the calendar gets specific. KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Thursday June 18, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Friday June 19, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Thursday July 16, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Friday July 17, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Thursday August 6, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Friday August 7, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Thursday September 10, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Friday September 11, 2026 KRTY.com Song and Wine Series Thursday October 1, 2026. Thursdays run $68, Fridays $74, with a Friday Season Pass at Cordevalle Winery $425.
The Thursday you pick actually matters:
| Thursday | What's on the lawn | Cost | Reserve ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any non-KRTY Thursday, summer | Free Time for Wine local bands | $0 gate | Club members only for patio |
| Jun 18, Jul 16, Aug 6, Sep 10, Oct 1 | KRTY country ticketed night | $68 | Yes, per date |
| Thursday at Little Uvas | Corks & Pasta dinner | $50 | Recommended |
That last row is the one out-of-towners miss. Hours are Friday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Friday afternoons feature pizza parties, and Thursday nights they run "Corks & Pasta" events for $50, which includes wine and two pasta dishes.
Where Locals Fill The Rest Of The Weekend
The tasting rooms outside the CordeValle gate are still small-lot, family-run, and mostly weekend-hours. What has shifted is that a resident planning a Saturday now has a real choice between the polished resort experience and half a dozen operations that feel like visiting a working farm.
- Little Uvas Vineyards / The Garage. This one is unlike any tasting room you've been to. Little Uvas sits at 255 Fitzgerald Avenue in San Martin, and the tasting room is called "The Garage" because that's exactly what it is. Owners Rich and Rosy Bergin opened in 2022 and built the space around seven acres of estate-grown grapes, plus a collection of classic cars on display inside. They share the building with the DeRose Tasting Room, so you get two wineries in one stop. There are picnic tables outside and Airstream trailers set up for tasting when the weather cools down.
- Miramar Vineyards. Miramar sits on ten pastoral acres at 12255 New Avenue in San Martin, tucked into the eastern foothills. It's a smaller, quieter tasting room that feels like visiting someone's property rather than a commercial operation. Open Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. If you want a mellow stop away from any crowds, this is it.
- Lion Ranch Vineyards & Winery. Lion Ranch is a husband-and-wife operation. They grow Rhone and Provence varietals and make everything in small lots. The tasting room is cozy, the outdoor seating is dog-friendly, and the owners are usually the ones pouring. Reservations are encouraged, especially on weekends. Address is 645 W San Martin Ave, hours Friday through Sunday, 11 to 4.
- Kirigin Cellars. Kirigin Cellars has been making wine since 1916, which makes it one of the oldest continuously operating wineries in the state.
A useful way to think about the mix: CordeValle is the concert night, Little Uvas is the Friday-happy-hour pizza night, Miramar and Lion Ranch are the quiet Saturday, and Kirigin is the "bring the out-of-town cousins because it has a history plaque" stop.
The Farm Side Of The Map
The vineyards get the attention, but the working farms are what actually make a resident's summer feel local. Two are worth putting on your calendar now while the season is running.
Windsor Family Farm 2005 Giampaoli Dr, San Martin, CA 95046. Windsor is a small family-run farm with organic produce, farm animals, and summer farm camps for kids. Their Farm Camp 2026 runs in June, and registration fills up. It is the kind of place where your kids can get dirt under their fingernails and feed a goat.
U Pick Orchards 10850 Monterey Rd (near the San Martin border) Seasonal cherry picking is the big draw here. When the fruit comes in (usually May-June), you grab a bucket and pick your own. The orchard is right off Monterey Road, and you will see the signs. By mid-July, most cherry rows are picked over. Pick pomegranates and Fuyu persimmons in season, hang out with farm animals, and buy fresh produce. It is a small operation run by people who care about the land.
The context that anchors all of this: San Martin does not have a downtown strip or a city council. It is an unincorporated community of about 7,000 people tucked between Morgan Hill and Gilroy, surrounded by vineyards, horse ranches, and open hillsides.
If You Are Not The Designated Driver
Trying to hit three tasting rooms in an afternoon with a group is the situation the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley was built for. If you want someone else to do the driving, the Morgan Hill Wine Trolley runs every weekend year-round. The trolley is an actual cable car that picks up at Luxe Flower Bar & Cafe at 1st and Monterey in downtown Morgan Hill. Cost is $149 per person, which includes a champagne welcome reception, a gourmet box lunch at the second winery, and tasting fees at three different wineries. The tour rotates among local wineries in Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy, so you get a different experience depending on the weekend.
For residents, the trolley is the answer to a specific problem: hosting friends or family who want the wine-country day without you giving up your own glass to shuttle them home.
How A San Martin Summer Weekend Actually Builds
If you want a template rather than a menu, here is how the pieces fit together over three days:
- Thursday evening. Free Time for Wine on the CordeValle lawn on non-KRTY dates. Pack a picnic, arrive by 5:30 for lawn space near the arbor.
- Friday, 4 to 8 p.m. Pizza and a glass at The Garage on Fitzgerald Avenue. Two tasting rooms in one visit, plus the classic-car collection to walk through while you wait for the wood-fired oven.
- Saturday morning. U Pick Orchards on Monterey Road for whatever is in season, or Windsor Family Farm if you have kids under ten.
- Saturday afternoon. One quiet tasting room. Miramar for foothills solitude, Lion Ranch for the Rhone varietals and the dog-friendly patio.
- Sunday, before 3 p.m. CordeValle for a General Flight and a bocce game on the patio, checking the event calendar first for any early wedding close.
The rhythm reads less like a tourist itinerary and more like the way people who actually live here already spend their weekends, once you know which nights the venues open and which they hold for private bookings.
What Changes Next
The larger shift is worth naming plainly. When a family-owned winery gets absorbed into a resort brand, the visitor experience gets more consistent and the calendar gets more crowded with private events. The tradeoff is that spontaneity gives way to reservations, and the small-lot tasting rooms on the surrounding roads become more valuable, not less, because they are the ones still operating on the older, quieter model.
For homeowners in San Martin, that is the summer-2026 headline that never made the local paper: the anchor changed, and the second-tier venues are now the ones defining what a Saturday here feels like.
If you are thinking about your own property in this market, whether you are staying put and want a read on values or planning a move within South County, NAVJIT SANGHA can walk you through what your home is worth today. Request your free home valuation to start the conversation.
