Gloria Ferrer - Champagne 411

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Gloria Ferrer Winery

Pronunciation
GLOR-ree-uh fuh-RAIR.

Wine Tasting
Relax and enjoy the stunning views from the Vista Terrace or inside the tasting room as you order by the flight, the glass or the bottle. Servers are happy to assist with your tasting experience. Tastings are available 7 days per week during winery hours.

Wine Club
Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards offers three different wine club memberships. Club release months are generally in February, May, September and November. You can choose a club that fits your desires:

*The Tête de Cuvée Club includes 6 bottles of Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine delivered four times a year for approximately $175 to $250 per shipment (plus tax and shipping), 25% discount on all wine purchases. Priority access to library release wine. Complimentary tasting for up to four people during winery visits. Two complimentary passes for winery Public Tour. Special club pricing on wine, merchandise and events

The Glorious Cuvée Club includes 3 bottles of Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine delivered four times a year for approximately $100 to $145 per shipment (plus tax and shipping), 20% discount on all wine purchases. Priority access to library release wine. Complimentary tasting for up to four people during winery visits. Two complimentary passes for winery Public Tour. Special club pricing on wine, merchandise and events.

The Cuvée Club includes 2 bottles of Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine delivered four times a year for approximately $70 to $95 per shipment (plus tax and shipping), 20% discount on all wine purchases. Priority access to library release wine. Complimentary tasting for up to four people during winery visits. Two complimentary passes for winery Public Tour. Special club pricing on wine, merchandise and events.

Type of Producer
Gloria Ferrer has vineyard holdings of over 300 acres, but still purchases a large amount of grapes from other growers.

Overall Producer Style
With the exception of their Blanc de Blancs, focus tends to be around the Pinot Noir grape with red fruit characteristics. A hint of cava-like back palate bitterness often comes through. Top of the line wines tend toward layered, complex and nutty/biscuity characteristics.

Annual Production
Approximately 150,000 cases per year..

Key People

Current Owner
Freixenet Group

Winemaker
Steve Urberg, Winemaker.
Bob Iantosca, Executive Winemaker
Mike Crumly, Vice President of Production

CEO/President
Thomas P. Burnet, President Freixenet America

History

Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards was the first sparkling wine house established in the Sonoma Carneros region of California. The Ferrers were the family behind the creation of the cava house, Freixenet.é

History
The Ferrers were an established wine making family in Spain since the sixteenth century. The Spanish company Freixenet was named after an estate in Mediona, Penedes, "La Freixeneda" (meaning the ash tree plantation). Pedro Ferrer was born on the estate in 1889. Pedro married Dolores Sala, bringing together two prominent Spanish winemaking families and in the mid 1910s they released their first cava. Pedro's vision was to expand their practice of sparkling wine production using the traditional method to the new world. He began searching for land on the east coast of the United States and plans for producing sparkling wine in New Jersey were underway in the 1930s. The dreams had to be put on hold with the onset of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and Pedro's untimely death. Pedro's dying wish was that his son, José, would someday make the dream of a sparkling winemaking facility in thenew world a reality.

Pedro's wife Dolores and their daughters took over the winery operations. José Ferrer took control in the late 1950s.José realized the Atlantic climate in the northeastern part of the United States would not be ideal for grapes and he set his sights on areas of California that experienced a more Mediterranean climate. In 1982 José fulfilled his father's dream by purchasing 250 acres of grazing land in Carneros. José wanted to avoid the Freixenet connection and chose instead to name the winery after his wife, Gloria Ferrer. Seeking grapes often recognized as the best for sparkling wine production, the winemaking team managed to obtain Pinot Noir and Chardonnay clones directly from the Champagne region of France. As the vineyards were established, wines were initially made at Piper Sonoma and Château St. Jean until 1986 when Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards officially opened their picturesque winery designed in the style of a masia (Catalan farmhouse).

Gloria Ferrer vineyards now include 335 acres in Sonoma Carneros with 207 acres at "Home Ranch" and 128 acres at "Circle Bar Ranch". Three harvesting and winemaking techniques used by Freixenet in Spain were incorporated into the practices at Gloria Ferrer to protect the fruit's delicateness: Grapes are hand picked, small bins are used to carry the grapes to the winery and the grapes are pressed in whole clusters with membrane presses.

Gloria Ferrer Contact Information

Address
Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards
23555 HWY 121 (Arnold Drive)
Sonoma, CA 95476

Website
http://www.gloriaferrer.com

Visitor Information
Telephone: 707-933-1917

Open Days / Hours
Open daily: 10am - 4:45pm

Tours
Tours last approximately 40 minutes and are available daily at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Tours include tastings of 2 sparkling wines and one estate varietal wine. Groups larger than 8 are accomodated by appointment only.

Special food and wine tours and tours for larger groups are available with a minimum of 2 business days advance reservations.

Related Subjects

About the winery and it's key people
Contact and tour information
A history of the winery

Website
LINKtargetNEW XXXXFORMAL NAME website