Hotels Offer “San Jose Stay & Sip” Weekend Packages with Rates Starting As Low As $169; Food Festival Season Kicks-Off and Wine Flies Home Free on Alaska Airlines
SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 29, 2018) – While San Jose is widely known as the technology hub of Silicon Valley, the valley was actually growing grapes and other produce long before the city was harvesting silicon chips. In fact, the region was originally known as the “Valley of The Hearts Delight” thanks to the local rich soil that continues to produce exceptional wines and produce for the region. Nearby Santa Clara Valley is home to some of the finest wineries and vineyards in California and the Santa Cruz Mountains wine appellation has been dubbed the “most underappreciated wine region” by Wine Spectator. The region is also home to some of the most prolific winemakers such as Etienne Thee, Paul Masson and Paul Draper.
Within just 20 miles of downtown San Jose are more than 150 wineries that offer incredible views of the valley, the redwoods and the Pacific Ocean. The city is also brimming with tasting rooms and wine bars, allowing visitors and locals to mingle over a glass of some of the regions best varietals. The city comes alive during the summer months with a wide array of food festivals and events that embrace the region’s rich agricultural history. To celebrate the region’s robust food and wine offerings, San Jose has partnered with a variety of local hotels to offer wine-themed packages and with Alaska Airlines’ innovative “Wine Flies Free” program, so that visitors can bring a taste of San Jose home with them. Hotel packages start as low as $169, per night for stays now through August 31.
“Stay & Sip” Hotel Packages Feature Discounted Rooms, Wine Tours and Special Amenities
The Hotel Valencia on Santana Row features a weekend wine getaway package which includes accommodations for two, complimentary Wi-Fi, complimentary Continental breakfast, a $50 gift card from Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market for a picnic lunch, known for their fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, a Hotel Valencia tote bag complete with a Santa Cruz Wine Region map, bottled water and wine wipes. Packages begin at $269 per night, per person, based on double occupancy*.
The Fairmont San Jose, with newly-renovated suites that are named after local vineyards, is offering weekend wine stays in their South Tower with an exclusive discount on Tommy John’s Wine Tours, a bottle of local wine and an artisan cheese board from local creameries. Packages begin at $425 per night.
At the Westin San Jose,guests booking the weekend wine package will receive discounted room rates, discounted parking, a complimentary wine-themed welcome food amenity (valued at $40) and late check-out. Weekend package rates begin at $179 per night, per person, plus tax, based on double occupancy*.
The San Jose Marriott will offer special discounted weekend rates for wine lovers and the opportunity to enjoy a personalized wine experience with local tasting recommendations, a complimentary glass of wine and late checkout. Packages begin at $199 per night, per person, based on double occupancy*.
The AC by Marriott in downtown San Jose will feature Wine Weekends including special rates inclusive of valet parking and a bottle of wine. Packages begin at $169 per night, per person, based on double occupancy*.
*Rates are subject to availability and blackout dates apply. Packages can be booked on the hotel’s individual websites and more information is available on www.sanjose.org.
Savor San Jose’s Wine Region at Home with Alaska Airlines Wine Flies Free Program
Visitors who fly Alaska Airlines to and from San Jose’s convenient Mineta International Airport and are members of Mileage Plan can conveniently bring a taste of the region’s wines home with them with no additional shipping fees. Alaska Airlines’ Wine Flies Free program offers each Mileage Plan member the ability to check an entire case, up to 12 bottles of wine, for free. Travelers who are not already a Mileage Plan member and are looking to take advantage of the Wine Flies Free program can sign up for a Mileage Plan membership at no cost.
From Japanese Fare to Local Garlic: Summer Food Festivals Abound in San Jose
Visitors to San Jose during the summer months are able to pair the region’s robust wine offerings with some of the city’s most-lively and delicious food festivals and events and celebrate the area’s diverse cultures. Among the food-themed festivals and events happening during the summer months:
Dine Downtown (July 13-22, 2018) San Jose’s best restaurants roll out the red carpet for residents and visitors alike during “Restaurant Week.” For nine days in July, patrons can sample three-course, prix-fixe and specialty meals at great savings.
Obon Festival (July 14-15, 2018)– San Jose’s Japantown, one of the largest in the country, throws an expansive annual festival with two days of food booths, cultural exhibits and demonstrations, as the Chidori Band, San Jose Taiko and over 1,000 dancers entertain crowds with cultural performances each evening.
Santa Cruz Mountain Passport Celebration Day (July 21, 2018) – San Jose’s more than 50 wineries in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains, each offer a special Passport Celebration Day winery experience. Four times a year the winegrowing community of the Santa Cruz Mountains comes together to celebrate the generations of farmers, vintners and families that are the roots of the Santa Cruz Mountains wine region on Passport Celebration Days. Participating wineries welcome passport aficionados into their tasting rooms throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains. The possibilities are as varied as the wineries themselves.
Gilroy Garlic Festival (July 27-29) – Just 30 miles outside of San Jose is home to a three-day festival of food, beverages, arts & crafts, live entertainment, and cooking competitions. Founded in 1979, this event is hosted by thousands of community volunteers who have raised millions of dollars for local schools, charities, and non-profit organizations.The heart of the Garlic Festival is Gourmet Alley, the gigantic outdoor kitchen where the world-famous “Pyro Chefs” put on a spectacular flame-up show while preparing garlic-laced calamari and scampi in huge iron skillets. Other Festival favorites include pepper steak sandwiches, pasta con pesto, fried calamari, and sausage sandwiches, as well as Gilroy garlic fries, garlic bread and the famous Gilroy garlic ice cream. This year, the Gilroy Garlic Festival welcomes Iron Chef Michael Symon, Olympic Champion and Food Network star Brian Boitano, and MasterChef Season Seven Winner Shaun O’Neale to host exciting cooking competitions on the Challenge Butter Cook-Off Stage.
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest (August 10-12)– Summer Fest heats up the season with a lineup of international performers, emerging artists and regional favorites playing jazz, blues, salsa, Latin and R&B. Featuring more than 100 performances by music greats like Kool & the Gang, Lalah Hathaway, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, Booker T. Jones and many more. Not only is it the largest live music event in Silicon Valley—it’s the perfect summer culinary experience with a sampling of San Jose’s wide array of food, wine and micro-brew offerings; family fun and an after hours club crawl.
Annual Assyrian Food Festival (August 18-19) – is an opportunity to sample authentic Assyrian food, traditions and learn about the Assyrian heritage and the people whose ancestral homeland is known in history as “the cradle of civilization.”
About Visit San Jose
Team San Jose (TSJ) is an innovative partnership unifying the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels, arts, labor and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. TSJ manages the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, California Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts, City National Civic, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall and South Hall. For more information, visit www.sanjose.org.
