The Ramona Valley AVA resembles many of Spain's famous wine regions. It's obvious what grows in Spain can grow in Ramona. At Las Glorias de María Vineyards we showcase some of Spain's great native wine varietals known around the world like Tempranillo, Garnacha, Monastrell and Cariñena. We will also introduce some rare Spanish varietals exclusively grown in our vineyards such as Verdejo, Viura, Garnacha Blanca, Palomino and Graciano.
We could grow Albariño or Hondarribi Zuria but we believe the climate of Ramona differs from that of Galicia or the most eastern parts of Pais Vasco. Our goal is to display the true and distinct varietal characteristics of each of our varietals. These nuances cannot be forced grown in climates which are not similar to the native climates of many of Spain's famous wine regions. Our dedication to authenticity is exclusive to those wine varietals which thrive in Mediterranean and Continental climates and are similar to Ramona's hot edge of a Mediterranean climate. This approach to winemaking may offend some but we believe Ramona is not Chardonnay country. Don't get us wrong, we love Chardonnay, but Ramona is not Burgundy. We are aware Chardonnay will grow in Ramona but is it true to and does it represent its unique varietal characteristics?
La Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y Leon, Priorat , Jumilla, Calatayud and Andalucia all share characteristics with Ramona. Intense summer heat, poor soils, strong seasonal winds and cool nights. Did I mention the heat? If you ever have traveled Spain in the summer you know it is not exactly sweater weather. In Ramona the heat can be unforgiving. A summer's day in the vineyards of Priorat are actually hotter than Ramona yet the Garnacha and Cariñena are unparalleled world wide. It is the belief at Las Glorias de María Vineyards, Ramona can too make world class wine with varietals which can live up to the intense Ramona summers. Our vineyards are all planted and maintained old world style, Head Trained with no trellis systems. We acknowledge there are more efficient methods of developing and maintaining vineyards but we also believe vines planted in the traditional manner contribute to the uniqueness of the wines.
Our goal at Las Glorias de María Vineyards is to showcase the characteristics of each of our wines. Is Garnacha best displayed as a Rosado Sangrado (bleeding of red wine grape juice) style Rosé or is an inky and spicy wine the best example of Garnacha's potential? We believe both. Monastrell can be made in a style like they make in Jumilla, dark! Monastrell can also complement Garnacha or Tempranillo as it is often blended in Spain. We also believe acid is king!! Our hope is our white wines made from Verdejo, Viura, Garnacha Blanca and Palomino will quench your thirst and remind you of the time you spent in the Ramona wine country.
We have dedicated our vineyards to our heritage. Spain, via Mexico were navigated by our family over centuries and ended up in San Diego, California. The name of our vineyard is in honor of our mother, aunt and sister who carried on the legacy of our family but whose lives were cut short by cancer. Future partial proceeds will be donated to the fight against cancer. Our logo is dedicated to our three angels who sit on the crown which rests over our ladies initials. Our logo is inspired by the famous fighting bull ranches (ganaderías) of Spain and Mexico. The fighting bull is a large part of our heritage and is celebrated and respected to this day. If you look close you can see a bull's head in the logo too.
The celebration of our heritage is also in keeping things original. Maybe you haven't heard of Garnacha or Monastrell? These varietals and others were imported from their native Spain into France to help recover the Phylloxera louse devastated vineyards of Bordeaux and eventually the Rhône Valley. In France these two varietals are known as Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre. So, at Las Glorias de María Vineyards we refer to and label our vines and wines with their original Spanish names. Oh, tambien hablamos Español.
1636 Griffith Road, Ramona, California 92065, United States
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