About

Gloria Ferrer's estate grapes are cultivated on two ranches, Home and Circle Bar. The 207 acre Home Ranch features five distinct soil types. The 128 acre Circle Bar Ranch features eight different soil types. Pinot Noir is planted on the estate's highest ridges. Chardonnay is planted on the lower sections.

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 one of the three clubs that fits your desires. Memberships can include sparkling wine discounts, tours, and tastings. There is special club pricing on wine, merchandise and events. Contact Gloria Ferrer to find out more.

Annual Production

Approximately 150,000 cases of sparkling wine annually.

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.

Producer Type

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

People

Current Owner

Henkell Friexenet

CEO/President

Andreas Brokemper, Co-CEO
Pedro Ferrer, Co CEO

Winemaker

Harry Hansen as Senior Vice President of Winegrowing and Winemaking

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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.
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, make the dream of a sparkling winemaking facility in the new world a reality.
Pedro's wife Dolores and their daughters took over the winery operation. 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 using small bins to carry the grapes to the winery where the grapes are pressed in whole clusters with membrane presses.