Mourvedre

Mourvedre

Croad Vineyards & Winery

pouring red wine - Pixabay

Croad Vineyards is nestled within California's wine country surrounded by the majestic views of west side Paso Robles. The winery & tasting room are located near Vineyard Drive in Paso Robles.The Mission style architecture blended with New Zealand "KIWI" influence bring a truly unique experience to your visit.  

Dark Star Cellars

Dark Star Cellars is a rustic working winery and vineyard just of the West 46 and 5 min from Central Paso Robles. 

Dark Star is a rustic working winery and vineyard, conveniently situated just five minutes from central Paso Robles, off West 46 at Anderson Road and only two miles from the 101. Ample parking is available, and local ride services are just minutes away.

The winery boasts a spacious 3,000-square-foot tasting area featuring an indoor tasting bar with seating, as well as an outdoor covered patio with picnic seating and vineyard views. Visitors can choose between a regular tasting or enjoy wine by the glass to complement their own picnic.

Founded in 1994, Dark Star offers around twenty award-winning wines on any given day, including whites, rosés, creative red blends, and both common and unusual red varietals and ports. In the past four years, under new management, the winery has earned twenty-five awards, including ten gold medals with scores of 90 or above. Dark Star sources only high-quality fruit from the finest local growers and plans to introduce limited-edition estate wines soon. The winemaker selects grapes only when they have reached full maturity and flavor, ensuring that all wines are made, aged, and bottled on-site. With a limited production of approximately 3,500 cases per year, the winery maintains a close relationship with each of its 380 barrels, carefully tracking the maturation of its wines.

Renowned for its laid-back, family- and pet-friendly atmosphere, Dark Star offers tastings that include eight wines of the visitor's choice, or guests can allow the friendly and knowledgeable staff to guide them through the extensive menu. Many couples enjoy sharing side-by-side tastings to compare and contrast the nuances of different varietals or blends. Non-drinking companions can participate in activities like corn hole, observe the bee hive, or relax with the winery's cats and chickens. Depending on the day's activity level, vineyard, crush pad, and winery tours may be offered, and visitors might even have the chance to lend a hand during harvest season.

Dark Star takes pride in its quality-to-price ratio, with retail bottle prices ranging from $24 to $48. Club members receive a 30% discount at all times and enjoy 50% off case specials at least twice a year. The club commitment involves six bottles twice a year, typically costing around $150 per order, plus any applicable tax and shipping. Members can choose from the winery's selections or customize their orders.

Visitors are encouraged to check the winery's website for upcoming events. Spring and fall pick-up parties feature live bands, dancing, and buffets, while live music by local and traveling artists occurs once or twice a month. Additionally, open-mic/karaoke night takes place every Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Dark Star is also available for private parties, small weddings, and charitable fundraisers.

Nevada City Winery

grape cluster - Pixabay

More than a few small wineries have started in a garage, but we may be the only Winery to begin that way, move on to bigger and better quarters, and still be in a garage. Founded in 1980 in a small garage on the outskirts of town, in 1982 the Winery moved to its present location, the historic Miners Foundry Garage, on Spring St in downtown Nevada City. Remarkably, the Winery is located less than two blocks from where the original Nevada City Winery stood over a century ago. The Winery was begun by Allan Haley, a Nevada County native with a European wine education and a dream of bringing winemaking back to our region. In 1880 there were over 300 acres of grapes in the County. In 1980 when the Winery opened there was one small vineyard, recently planted. Twenty years later there are again well over 300 acres of grapes and the wine industry is flourishing once more.

Costa De Oro Winery

Winery sign

Costa de Oro Winery's mission is to craft the finest wines from the Central Coast by blending the artistry of Old-World winemaking with New-World grape growing practices.

In 1989, Ron Burk and Bob Espinola, owners of Gold Coast Farms, planted the Gold Coast Vineyard. This 30-acre vineyard, featuring Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, is situated on a stunning bluff at Fuglar's Point in the esteemed Santa Maria Valley AVA of Santa Barbara County.

The vineyard began yielding fruit in the early 1990s, with grapes sold to local wineries including Au Bon Climat, Foxen, Lane Tanner, and The Hitching Post. During this period, Gary Burk, Ron Burk's son, formed a friendship with Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat. In 1994, Clendenen offered Gary a harvest position at the renowned Au Bon Climat/Qupé Winery, where Gary eventually accepted a full-time role and remained until 2002.

While at Au Bon Climat/Qupé in 1994, Gary produced the first Costa de Oro wines—one barrel each of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Costa de Oro continued to expand each year, reaching 2,500 cases by 2002, when Gary chose to dedicate himself entirely to the winery. Today, Costa de Oro produces 6,500 cases annually and also creates special private labels for clients such as James Beard Award Winner Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s Restaurants, the Halekulani Hotel on Waikiki Beach, and CF Pinot Noir for Master Sommelier Chuck Furuya of the Sansei Restaurant Group.

The Costa de Oro Tasting Room opened in 2006 at the original location of the Gold Coast Farms' strawberry stand off the 101 Freeway in Santa Maria. Gary and his wife, Teresa Gasca-Burk, manage the tasting room, where visitors can enjoy local live music on weekends. Occasionally, they can even be seen performing with the bands. Guests are invited to savor wine, music, and the relaxed ambiance at Costa de Oro.

Wilderotter Vineyard & Winery

wine grapes

In June 2023, Teneral Cellars acquired Wilderotter Vineyard, establishing a new home to share our passion for wine, community, and a sense of place. Thus, Teneral Cellars at Wilderotter Vineyard was born! Our 40-acre estate, nestled in the heart of the Sierra Foothills AVA in Plymouth, CA, Amador County, offers stunning scenery, outdoor seating perfect for picnics, and an exceptional bottle of wine. Our beautiful tasting room boasts a wonderful selection of wines. White wine enthusiasts will delight in our viognier, sauvignon blanc, and chardonnay, while red wine lovers can savor our tempranillo, barbera, syrah, mourvedre, and zinfandel.

Stanton Vineyards

glass of red wine - Pixabay

The Stanton family has been growing grapes in the Napa Valley since 1947. They began making their own wine in 1999. For this first vintage and the next three they used grapes exclusively from our Oakville vineyard. In addition to the Oakville property, the Stanton family owns two vineyards in St. Helena.

In 2002, acclaimed winemaker Dave Phinney, joined the Stanton team, lending his talented hands to the ’02 vintage, creating a wine that quickly captured the attention of critics and wine afficianados. A fan of Petite Sirahs, Doug decided to dedicate some of their Petite Sirah production to introduce their first vintage in 2004. 

Stanton Vineyards remains, and will remain, a boutique winery, producing about 800 cases total (625 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and 180 cases Petite Sirah) under their Stanton Vineyard label. This small production, which accounts for less than 7% of the grapes grown on their properties, allows them to focus on producing both grapes and wine of great character. Because, as Doug, his father John, and grandfather Jesse all agree, the grapes and the soil come first.

Convergence Vineyards

cluster of grapes

Stephen and Jamie had a dream of owning their own vineyard someday. Their idea was to buy 5 to 10 acres in the Napa Valley and establish a vineyard. They created a five year plan to save the money they would need. Meanwhile Napa land prices skyrocketed from $35,000/ acre to well over a million dollars an acre. In the spring of 2000 their search lead them to the historic Amador County.While continuing to work full time jobs, they traveled to their ranch in Amador each weekend. Five wells were dug to find the water they would need to supply the vineyards. In 2004, they had their first crush as a bonded winery. 2006 saw the first crop from their estate vineyards. They expect to grow the winery production to around 2,000 cases annually, which they only sell in the tasting room and through their web site.They are now open with nine wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Barbera, Mourvedre, Zinfandel, Syrah, ZinRah, Petite Sirah and a Gnarly Vine Zinfandel Port.

TKC Vineyards

grape cluster - Pixabay

The tasting room that I like to visit. There is nothing touristy about it - it is simple and understated. And the wine? So good! A great little find. A campy tasting room that includes the aroma of wine laden wooden barrels ended up with some of the most aged wines.

Old Creek Ranch Winery's flagship wine is Zinfandel, a varietal that has been part of the winery's legacy since its inception in 1981. In 1993, the winery expanded its vineyard with the planting of Mourvèdre, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (clone 7) shortly thereafter. By 2000, Syrah Noir was added to their diverse selection.

The winery specializes in boutique wines crafted from these varietals, along with exquisite blends and a unique Syrah Port. Old Creek Ranch Winery is open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays, welcoming walk-ins with open arms. For parties of six or more, reservations are requested. Appointments are available Monday through Friday for those looking to explore the winery's offerings further.

Pages

Subscribe to Mourvedre