Winemaking
The Philosophy
We apply a mix of Old World wine making procedures and new proven techniques, adjusting to the artistic perception that we have for each wine, while still allowing the varietal to achieve its fullest expression.
The Art
It takes terroir, climate, art and science combined to create superb, award winning wines. Ventana Vineyards is fortunate to have it all. During the harvest, the Estate grown grapes are brought in from the vineyard via gondolas for immediate pressing. For our white wines, the juice from our grapes is then pumped into tank for 36 to 48 hours of settling and then the clear juice is racked for fermentation. The juice is then pumped off into barrels for aging. For our red wines, the grapes are immediately de-stemmed and placed into open-top fermentors for about two weeks or until fermentation stops. During this time the cap is hand-punched for optimum contact between the skins and the juice. The juice is then pressed off the skins and settled in a tank before being pumped off into barrels for aging.
The Results
This year Ventana will celebrate 30 years of winemaking, starting with the first vintage being released in 1978. Since then we have earned the distinction of being the most award-winning single vineyard in America, with wines like the 2005 Gold Stripe Chardonnay which was voted Best Chardonnay in America by the Affairs of the Vine in 2007. Our Riesling grapes, which we have been growing since the winery was founded in the early 70's, began winning awards under other winery labels almost as soon as the first planting was harvested, making this their 31st year gold medals. The wines being released in 2008 are surpassing even our own award-winning standards, bringing in over 60 awards before the first day of Spring.
){kind=link}