Firestone Vineyards

I have been planning to write about a vineyard visit. I thought that would have to wait to until I visited one. However, my wife recently found a paper from our 2004 visit to Firestone Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley just north of Santa Barbara, California. The paper was a list of the Firestone wines on which we had written a few notes next to ones we tasted. But first, a few comments about the vineyard tour and some of the things we learned.

Several aspects of the tour impressed me. First, the vineyard has a cork oak tree growing near the winery. If I remember correctly, it is a single tree and is really only symbolic. They don't use it to make corks. However, it serves as a backdrop to a brief discussion of the issue of natural vs. artificial corks. The man giving the tour expressed the opinion that while the artificial corks do not allow the wine to breathe, they are getting better all the time and that he thought they would be suitable substitutes at some point.

The second thing that impressed upon me was the process of making red wine. I had not realized that it is much more difficult to make red wine than white. That is because the red color is derived from the grape skins, not the juice. The skins must be left in with the juice and must be stirred up regularly to transfer the color. There are machines that can do this automatically, but they are expensive and beyond the capability of many boutique wineries, so this process must then be done by hand.

Thirdly, while I had seen how grapes are grown previously, I had not really observed them up close (And, as Yogi Berra says, you can observe a lot just by watching!). After seeing the grape vines strung out along two rows of metal strings, I was inspired to try that at home. I earlier had planted some grape vines next to an arbor, hoping to get them to grow through it. However, I now have planted a single row of vines across the back of my vegetable garden, using some pressure treated posts and wire. The structure is actually L-shaped, as I continued it along the side, as well as the back, of my garden. I do know that the rows are supposed to be parallel to a slope, but, hey, with little room, I figure I need to take what I can get. I do plan to add a second row this fall. Like the single cork oak, my vines are mainly symbolic as they will obviously not produce enough grapes to make even a single bottle of wine! I do hope to get some good tasting grapes though.

The first wine I tasted at Firestone was a 2003 Sauvignon Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley. It was billed as a white wine for red wine lovers. It had a good light taste. Its price was listed as $12. Next, I tried a 2003 Riesling from the Central Coast. As expected, it was a sweeter wine. Its price was $9.95. Next, I tried a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Ynez Valley. It had a great light taste. It was listed at $18. I then tried the 2001 Syrah from the Santa Ynez Valley. It was a bit heavier than the Cabernet, but very good. It, too, was priced at $18. Finally, I tasted the 2001 Merlot Reserve from Santa Ynez Valley. It was slightly more robust than the Cabernet and was definitely the best of the reds. Its price was $32, so it is not a wine I would likely purchase, other than for a very special occasion, perhaps.

So that summarizes my experience at Firestone. It was a great day, beautifully sunny and comfortable as we were making our way from Ventura up to Arroyo Grande. As part of visiting the winery, we drove north on Route 154 instead of on the 101. It is a spectacular road through the Santa Ynez Mountains and replete with magnificant vistas.

I will write more about the Firestone Winery company history when i discuss a Firestone wine.