Gloria Ferrer
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Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards is a winery in
Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...
that specializes in sparkling wines, as well as
Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
and
Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
wine. It was the first sparkling wine producer in
Carneros Los Carneros AVA (also known as Carneros AVA) is an American Viticultural Area which includes parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties in California, U.S.A. It is located north of San Pablo Bay. The proximity to the cool fog and breezes from th ...
. It was also the first to plant Champagne grape clones in the region.


History

Gloria Ferrer was founded in 1982 by the Ferrer family as their primary venture into California winemaking. Owners of Freixenet S.A., one of the primarily Cava producers in Spain, they fulfilled the family's lifelong dream of producing wine in the United States. Purchasing 156 acres of cattle ranch land, an additional 100 acres was acquired and production began. The winery was named after José Ferrer's wife, Gloria. They began producing in 1986 and while primarily founded as a sparkling wine making venue, in the early 1990s they began producing still wine. Upon this decision, red wine producing facilities were built and the wine caves were expanded for storage of both types of production. Gloria Ferrer's wine making mission is: ''To capture the full expression of the distinctive Carneros terroir in wines made to pair perfectly with food.''


Wine production

Gloria Ferrer's head winemaker is Kyle Altomare and the vineyard manager is Brad Kurtz. Gloria Ferrer owns 335 acres of estate owned vineyards and also works with other grape growers throughout the region to make their wines. They own two vineyards: Home Ranch Estate Vineyards, which is 207 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot noir grapes, and Circle Bar Ranch, 128 acres of Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Their grapes are hand picked, in the early morning hours, during harvest season. Well known for their grape clone studies, the Gloria Ferrer team started experimenting in 1988. Working with UC Davis they started three clonal tests on the two varietals and have since studied over 40 Pinot noir and Chardonnay clones to date. Each clone is tested for vegetation, vine balance, acidity, harvest time, and proper environment. Sustainability is a strong part of the wine making process as well.
Legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
cover crops are planted in the vineyard to convert nitrogen for the vine use, as well as serving as homes for beneficial insects. Other examples include: the winery pomace is composted with local farm animal manure that is spread into the vineyards in the spring, wastewater from wine production is recycled back into the vineyards and native plants are the primary plantings throughout the vineyards and winery.


Sparkling wine

The wineries sparkling wines are made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot noir grapes, which are created by the traditional
méthode champenoise Sparkling wine production is the method of winemaking used to produce sparkling wine. The oldest known production of sparkling wine took place in 1531 with the ''ancestral method''. Pressure and terminology In popular parlance and also in the ...
. Gloria Ferrer's ''Royal Cuvee'' is made from 67% Pinot noir and 33% Chardonnay it incorporates strawberry, raspberry, apple and lemon. Its name is a tribute to the
King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
.


Pinot noir

The winery's Pinot noir is grown in two types of soil: loamy clay soil on flatter ground, which produces between five and six tons per acre, and rock & volcanic soil which produces between two and three tons per acre. Pinot noir clones are experimented with by Iantosca and Crumly, who seek to find the right grapes for their Carneros land. In 1988 thirteen clones were tested for their viticultural differences and a handful were selected to continue producing. The most successful clones include Colmar 538, Wente, Wädenswil, Pommard 4, Dijon 115 and Martini. During the
harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
the grapes are de-stemmed completely. Selected wines are filtered, as well. After processing, the wine is placed in 25% to 50% French oak barrels and aged for 9 months. Between 15,000 and 20,000 cases are produced. They make two vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs from their clone research: The Rust Rock Terrace Pinot noir and Grave Knob Vineyard Pinot noir. The Rust Rock Terrace Pinot is from certain blocks of wines on the uppermost hillside of the Circle Bar Ranch vineyard, which has a volcanic ridgeline that provides strong growing conditions. The Gravel Knob is produced on the estates rockier and windier southwest corner which provides a more aromatic wine. Less than 400 cases of each wine are created each year.


Olive oil production

The winery started growing
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
trees in 1998 and have since planted almost 500 trees. The trees consist of Spanish
Arbequina Arbequina is a cultivar of olives. The fruit is highly aromatic, small, symmetrical and dark brown, with a rounded apex and a broad peduncular cavity. In Europe, it is mostly grown in Catalonia, Spain, but it is also grown in Aragon and Andalusi ...
olives and Italian olives. Their extra virgin olive oil is sold exclusively at the tasting room.


Tasting room

The tasting room is attached to the winery and is open to the public for tasting and seasonal vineyard tours, they also offer special events and a membership program. The winery is known for its culinary programs featuring estate-grown produce and its variety of events. The architecture is a tribute to Spanish and
California mission The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests o ...
design, designed to celebrate the
Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
tradition of the Ferrer family. The red tile rooftop and
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
walls are a throwback to the Ferrer family 11th century farmhouse in
Sant Sadurní d'Anoia Sant Sadurní d'Anoia is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Penedès in Catalonia, Spain; and the centre of production of a sparkling wine known as '' cava''. It is situated in the north-east of the Penedès Depression at the confluen ...
. The tasting room was remodeled in 2021.


References


External links


KTVU visits Gloria Ferrer, a video.

Wine Channel TV visits Gloria Ferrer, a video.

Press Democrat visits the tasting room, video.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards Wineries in Sonoma County, California 1986 establishments in California