THE VINE
Sharing Good Times
and Good Wine
By Kyle Fanthorpe
A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover.
- Clifton Fadiman
C
lifton Fadiman was a well-known
intellectual who achieved success
in letters, radio, and television. Fadiman
describes wine as something that begs to
be shared. Wine is an accessory to many
everyday rituals including relaxation after a
hard day, as a meal pairing, and just about
any other pretense. It also marks celebratory
occasions such as Champagne at a wedding.
He also suggests that wine and enthusiasm
for its consumption creates the effect of
community among its devotees. Wine,
though happily enjoyed alone, takes on a
new life when shared. It becomes a sort of
social custom with the same agency of the
intended effect, a means as well as an ends.
There are a number of exciting new
stores and eateries pumping life back into
downtown Gilroy but one business among
them stands out. Bella Viva Wine Bar,
right across the street from Old City Hall,
appeared seemingly out of thin air and has
rapidly become the “Cheers” of downtown.
Kellen McBain opened Bella Viva Wine
Bar in 2013, creating a new customer
experience for locals to explore and expand
their wine palates in a welcoming, comfort-
able environment. An avid host himself,
Kellen has called Bella Viva an extension
of his own home, where patrons can relax
with a glass of wine or craft beer. The bar
itself is styled after a Mediterranean get-
away featuring a beautiful emerald granite
bar and Kawai baby grand piano played
by a musician on Wednesdays through
Saturdays, giving the bar an old world
charm. Before Kellen decided to try his
hand in the wine business he worked at
Stanford University as an Epidemiologist
for the Department of Orthopaedic
Surgery. Kellen and his wife took an
96
interest in Santa Clara Valley wine on a
wine tasting tour. Kellen was impressed by
the increase in quality year by year of SCV
wine culture. This experience seems to have
sparked a passion.
Fast-forwarding to the present, and Bella
Viva has become a breakout success story
for downtown Gilroy. Starting in phases,
Bella Viva began serving wine and beer
exclusively. This allowed Kellen to refine
his wine and beer list, discovering new and
obscure producers who were crafting first-
class vintages and brews. As a result of this
process Bella Viva offers high-quality wine
and beer at value prices. Kellen believes
strongly in finding value for his customers
so they can enjoy the best wines and beers
on the market without handing over their
first-borns.
As a next step, the bar formed a partner-
ship with Garlic City Café, which offers
multi-regional Italian cuisine. Bella Viva
patrons can order from Garlic City’s menu
and have their food delivered to the bar. In
addition, Bella Viva has hosted “pop-up”
food services internally at various events.
The future plan is open up a full Italian
deli with hot paninis, pastas, salads,
pastries, a diverse selection of cheeses
and charcuterie.
Kellen has also implemented a wine
club program that includes special wine
club pricing for over 3,000 wineries as well
as a 10% percent discount on all Bella
Viva purchases. The wine shipments are
individualized for each member’s palate.
Bella Viva provides a complimentary bottle
of prosecco on members’ birthdays as well
as invitations to member-exclusive events.
Bella Viva also hosts a number of other
events such as Paint Nites, Champagne
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
Brunches, and wine-tasting classes. Their
Facebook page is the best place to keep
updated on event dates. Kellen hopes to
continue expanding the services offered at
Bella Viva, including international Tasting
Tours. His vision is to create wine travel
itineraries for European wine destinations
such as Bordeaux and Burgundy in France
as well as Piemonte and Tuscany in Italy. As
someone who has done a bit of wine tour-
ism, I’ve found that there isn’t a better way
to get to know a wine region than seeing it
firsthand. There’s something almost magical
about seeing the vineyards, smelling the
air, and touching the soil of your favorite
producers. It’s an oenophile experience like
no other.
Bella Viva Wine Bar is a special place
and, as someone who came of age in
Gilroy, I cannot convey enough the
importance of quality businesses like this
one to the community. It’s a place where
no one is a stranger. I’ve described the sense
one gets as they step inside as walking into
a piece of fiction and in an odd way it’s as
though Bella Viva has always been part of
Gilroy. I believe it has the potential to be a
part of the community for a long time to
come. Santa Clara Valley has the potential
to become a wine destination to rival any
other in California, but it’s the community
that needs to support local businesses so
Gilroy can continue to thrive.
So I encourage you to go out, tonight
even, have dinner somewhere and drinks
somewhere else. Tip well and have fun.
Life is too short not to enjoy yourselves. To
echo the sentiment of the Fadiman quote,
order the bo