Almaden Vineyards
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| Almaden Vineyards | |
| Location | Madera, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Appellation | Santa Clara Valley AVA |
| Formerly | Almadén Vineyards |
| Founded | 1852 |
| Parent company | Canandaigua Wine |
| Known for | Almadén Grenache Rosé |
| Varietals | Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Grenache, White Zinfandel |
| Other products | Chablis, Chianti, Burgundy, Rhine |
| Website | www.almaden.com |
Almaden Vineyards is a winery located in Escalon and Madera, California
The origin industry, the Old Almaden Winery located south of San José between Los Gatos and Almaden is registered as California Historical Landmark #505.[1]
[edit] History
The winery was established by Éthienne Thée in 1852, who named the vineyard after a nearby former quicksilver mining town.[2] Though sources contradict concerning details of the original foundation, it was undeniably Charles Le Franc, son-in-law of Thée, who planted the first choice European grape varieties at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The conditions of Pacific cool evening breeze and rocky soil are not suffiently fertile for large yields but grapes of special quality.[2]
Following Prohibition, Almadén as its wines were marketed, had great success with their blush wine, the White Grenache Rosé, allegedly the first popular pink wine in the United States.
The vineyard has undergone great change since, and as the home ground of Los Gatos became overrun by suburbs,[3] Almaden Vineyards was among the first to move south and 1,000 feet (300 m) up, to Paicines in San Benito County, initially planting 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of mostly Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with success,[4] and claim of "the world’s largest varietal wine vineyard".
[edit] References
- ^ California Office of Historic Preservation, Santa Clara
- ^ a b Lichine, Alexis (1967). Alexis Lichine's Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits. London: Cassell & Company Ltd., p.64.
- ^ wikimapia.org Vineland Park satellite photo
- ^ Johnson, Hugh (1971). The World Atlas of Wine. London: Mitchell Beazley Ltd., p.220.
[edit] External links
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