Vineyard,Winery,Estate

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. There are many terms used to describe the places from which wine originates. Today we will explore the differences between the terms Vineyard, Winery and Estate.

Although most of us think of the place where grapes are grown as a farm, it is actually a specialized type of grape growing area and practice and is referred to as a vineyard. A vineyard is a piece of property selected because the location is distinctly conducive to growing a specific type of grape or grapes. If the vineyard consistently produces high quality fruit then it may be identified on the label. This is called a vineyard designated wine and is usually an indication of merit. If a winery does not own it’s own vineyards then they will usually develop long term relationships with the growers to insure the consistency of their wines. Now the production facility where the wine is actually made, bottled and aged is the winery. It is usually close to the vineyards to make certain wine production begins as soon after harvest as possible. If you notice the term “Estate” wine upon the label of a wine produced in the United States, it indicates that the grapes were grown on property owned or controlled by the winery and the wine was crushed, fermented, bottled and aged in their winery’s production facility. The term Estate cannot be used otherwise. So there you have it the simple differences between the terms vineyard, winery and estate. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.