Capay Valley Vineyards: winery information
Winemaker: Terri Strain
Terri grew up in a central valley farming community south of Fresno. She holds a degree in soil science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She and her husband moved to Santa Rosa where she first worked for Chateau St Jean. That was followed by Benzinger Family Ranch/Glen Ellen Winery where she worked for eight years as Assistant Winemaker. As Winemaker at Associated Vintage Group, she honed her skills at working with many clients at once - and thus many styles of winemaking. Later she was production manager at Vinovation, a wine industry support company, known for their cutting edge technology. Capay Valley Vineyards became aware of Terri when she was the Winemaker for Martini and Prati making award winning Pinot Noir and Syrah. Terri brings to Capay Valley Vineyards not only technical expertise and experience but an artistic flair along with a great palate.
Annual Production: 2,500 cases
Capay Valley AVA
As early as 1861 a vineyard in Capay Valley was awarded the prize for the finest wine grapes in California. Capay Valley was designated an AVA (appellation) in February 2003. Capay Valley Vineyards is located 80 miles northeast of San Francisco, just east of Napa over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Vineyards
The vineyards are located on rolling hills with soils containing river rock and volcanic ash.Summers are warm and dry with a long growing season. Portions of the valley receive moderating breezes from the Sacramento Delta and the San Francisco Bay. The vines are trained to a vertical trellis. All vineyard work is done by hand. Harvesting is done at night to ensure that the fruit is cool when picked. Capay Valley Vineyards is dedicated to producing premium wines from Capay Valley fruit.
Grape Varieties Planted