Twisted Oak Winery
Encyclopedia
Twisted Oak Winery is a family-owned boutique winery
in Vallecito
, California
specializing in wine
made from grape
varieties
native to the Mediterranean
regions of western Europe
. The winery is located on a hilltop at 2280 ft (695 m) above sea level
in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and most of the grapes for the wines are sourced from nearby vineyard
s in Calaveras County
. The winery name and logo design are derived from a California Blue Oak
tree on the property.
, who had over a decade of experience in the Calaveras County wine industry, as Twisted Oak's first winemaker
. The original 10 acre (4 ha) vineyard on the 120 acre (48.5 ha) property was planted to Tempranillo
, Grenache
, and Graciano
, grape varieties native to the Mediterranean regions of France
, Spain
and Portugal
. The decision to plant Iberian
grape varieties, uncommon in California, was in part due to a dinner that Stai and Klann attended at a Spanish
restaurant in which they tried many Spanish wine
s that impressed them.
The winery's first vintage was 2002, when they produced 10 different wines, all made from purchased grapes. The wines were produced in a custom crush facility at the Olde Lockeford Winery
in the town of Lockeford, California
. The first vintage began a tradition of naming wines with exclusively non-alphabetic symbols (in a style often used to replace profane
words in written English
), such as the *%#&@!, a red blend of Mourvedre
, Syrah, and Grenache
grapes, and the %@#$!, a white wine made of Marsanne
and Roussanne
grapes (introduced two years later). The unusual wine names were inspired from the owner and winemaker's frustration at being unable to come up with a good name for the red blend. The unique wine labels have been the subject of doctoral
research
in communications
. The 2002 Calaveras County The Spaniard would be well-received by wine critics, scoring 92 points in a review for Wine Enthusiast
magazine.
With their own winery facility still under construction, Twisted Oak's 2003 vintage was produced at the facilities of Hatcher Winery in the nearby town of Murphys. The winery opened a tasting room
on Main Street in Murphys in July 2003. The tasting room is located in the childhood home of Albert Abraham Michelson
, the first American to win a Nobel Prize
in the sciences (in 1907, for physics
). The winery's own winemaking facility and estate tasting room were completed in July 2004, and included a 300 ft (91 m) cave
for barrel storage. The winery's first vintage at the Vallecito hilltop facility was 2004, and it produced 14 different wines. Seven of the wines carried the Calaveras County appellation
designation, and five were sold under the Sierra Foothills AVA
appellation designation. Some of the wines were estate grown and others were made from grapes grown in the Tanner and Dalton Vineyards of Calaveras County or the Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado County
. In the vintages since the winery's completion, Twisted Oak has bottled between 8,000 and 14,000 cases of wine. The winery facility is designed to support the production of 13,000 to 14,000 cases of wine at capacity.
For the 2007 vintage, about 20% of the grapes used by the winery were estate-grown, including all the fruit for The Spaniard and Torcido label wines, with the rest purchased from other vineyards. A tasting room at the winery is open to the public daily, and a tasting room on Main Street in downtown Murphys is open year round. The winery also has its own wine club, which it calls "The Twisted Few".
Viognier
and Verdelho
bottlings as well as blends made from Marsanne, Rousanne, and Viognier. The winery has produced one rosé
made from Grenache. The winery's signature red wine bottling, The Spaniard, is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, and Graciano grapes. Other red bottlings include varietal Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Grenache bottlings, as well as red blends made with grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon
, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot
, Syrah, and Grenache. The winery ages their waines in American, French, and Hungarian Oak
barrels. In 2007, the 2003 Syrah and the 2003 Spaniard both won gold medals in the San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Competition. Two of Twisted Oak Winery's wines won gold medals at the Orange County Fair
. Later in the year, the Torcido won a double-gold and the Tempranillo won Best of Sierra Foothills AVA appellation at the California Exposition and State Fair.
The winery has two estate vineyards, one located on the property in Vallecito, and the other located on property owned by the winery near Murphys. The winery purchases grapes from ten other vineyards in Calaveras County and three in other parts of California. Silvaspoons Vineyard, located in the Alta Mesa AVA
, is the only vineyard outside of the Sierra Foothills AVA from which Twisted Oak Winery sources grapes.
in recognition of winning category performances in the California QSO Party, an annual amateur radio
competition. About half of the wines are awarded to competitors in California and half to those outside of California. The wine trophies are personalized with custom front labels
.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in Vallecito
Vallecito, California
Vallecito is a census-designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 442 at the 2010 census, up from 427 at the 2000 census. The town is registered as California Historical Landmark #273...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
specializing in wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
made from grape
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
varieties
Variety (biology)
In botanical nomenclature, variety is a taxonomic rank below that of species: as such, it gets a three-part infraspecific name....
native to the Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
regions of western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. The winery is located on a hilltop at 2280 ft (695 m) above sea level
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and most of the grapes for the wines are sourced from nearby vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s in Calaveras County
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
. The winery name and logo design are derived from a California Blue Oak
Blue Oak
Quercus douglasii, the Blue Oak, is an oak in the white oak section of the genus, Quercus sect. Quercus. It is endemic to California and is found in foothills surrounding the Central Valley of California and certain locations in the California Coast Ranges, USA...
tree on the property.
History
The winery was founded by Jeff and Mary Stai, and opened in 2001. The Stais hired Scott Klann, a native of MurphysMurphys, California
Murphys is a census-designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States...
, who had over a decade of experience in the Calaveras County wine industry, as Twisted Oak's first winemaker
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
. The original 10 acre (4 ha) vineyard on the 120 acre (48.5 ha) property was planted to Tempranillo
Tempranillo
Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano , a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks...
, Grenache
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
, and Graciano
Graciano
Graciano is a Spanish red wine grape that is grown primarily in Rioja. The vine produces a low yield that are normally harvested in late October. The wine produces is characterized by its deep red color, strong aroma and ability to age well...
, grape varieties native to the Mediterranean regions of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The decision to plant Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
grape varieties, uncommon in California, was in part due to a dinner that Stai and Klann attended at a Spanish
Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots...
restaurant in which they tried many Spanish wine
Spanish wine
Spanish wines are wines produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres planted—making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest...
s that impressed them.
The winery's first vintage was 2002, when they produced 10 different wines, all made from purchased grapes. The wines were produced in a custom crush facility at the Olde Lockeford Winery
Olde Lockeford Winery
Olde Lockeford Winery is a winery and custom crush facility in Lockeford, California, USA. The winery was founded in 1946 as the Lockeford Cooperative Winery, but had closed more than a decade before being purchased by Don Litchfield in 1998. The winery complex was renamed Vino Piazza, and...
in the town of Lockeford, California
Lockeford, California
Lockeford is a census-designated place in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 3,233 at the 2010 census, up from 3,179 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lockeford is located at ....
. The first vintage began a tradition of naming wines with exclusively non-alphabetic symbols (in a style often used to replace profane
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
words in written English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
), such as the *%#&@!, a red blend of Mourvedre
Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre , Mataró or Monastrell is wine grape variety used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world....
, Syrah, and Grenache
Grenache
Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...
grapes, and the %@#$!, a white wine made of Marsanne
Marsanne (grape)
Marsanne is a white wine grape, most commonly found in the Northern Rhône region. It is often blended with Roussanne. In Savoie the grape is known as grosse roussette...
and Roussanne
Roussanne
Roussanne is a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhône wine region in France, where it is often blended with Marsanne. It is the only other white variety, besides Marsanne, allowed in the northern Rhône appellations of Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Hermitage AOC and Saint-Joseph AOC...
grapes (introduced two years later). The unusual wine names were inspired from the owner and winemaker's frustration at being unable to come up with a good name for the red blend. The unique wine labels have been the subject of doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
research
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
in communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
. The 2002 Calaveras County The Spaniard would be well-received by wine critics, scoring 92 points in a review for Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Wine Enthusiast Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 680,000 readers. Its wine ratings, conducted by reviewers in major wine-producing areas of the world, comprise a large section of...
magazine.
With their own winery facility still under construction, Twisted Oak's 2003 vintage was produced at the facilities of Hatcher Winery in the nearby town of Murphys. The winery opened a tasting room
Wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards...
on Main Street in Murphys in July 2003. The tasting room is located in the childhood home of Albert Abraham Michelson
Albert Abraham Michelson
Albert Abraham Michelson was an American physicist known for his work on the measurement of the speed of light and especially for the Michelson-Morley experiment. In 1907 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics...
, the first American to win a Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in the sciences (in 1907, for physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
). The winery's own winemaking facility and estate tasting room were completed in July 2004, and included a 300 ft (91 m) cave
Wine cave
Wine caves are subterranean structures for the storage and aging of wine. They are an integral component of the wine industry world wide. The design and construction of wine caves represents a unique application of underground construction techniques....
for barrel storage. The winery's first vintage at the Vallecito hilltop facility was 2004, and it produced 14 different wines. Seven of the wines carried the Calaveras County appellation
Appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
designation, and five were sold under the Sierra Foothills AVA
Sierra Foothills AVA
The Sierra Foothills AVA is an American Viticultural Area in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the state of California in the United States. Wine grapes were introduced to the area in the nineteenth century during the California Gold Rush...
appellation designation. Some of the wines were estate grown and others were made from grapes grown in the Tanner and Dalton Vineyards of Calaveras County or the Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado County
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County is a county located in the historic Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills of the U.S. state of California. The 2010 population was 181,058. The El Dorado county seat is in Placerville....
. In the vintages since the winery's completion, Twisted Oak has bottled between 8,000 and 14,000 cases of wine. The winery facility is designed to support the production of 13,000 to 14,000 cases of wine at capacity.
For the 2007 vintage, about 20% of the grapes used by the winery were estate-grown, including all the fruit for The Spaniard and Torcido label wines, with the rest purchased from other vineyards. A tasting room at the winery is open to the public daily, and a tasting room on Main Street in downtown Murphys is open year round. The winery also has its own wine club, which it calls "The Twisted Few".
Wines and vineyards
Twisted Oak Winery produces both red and white wines made from the grape varieties native to Spain and southern France. White wines include varietalVarietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
Viognier
Viognier
Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...
and Verdelho
Verdelho
Verdelho is a white wine grape grown throughout Portugal, though most associated with the island of Madeira, and also gives its name to one of the four main types of Madeira wine...
bottlings as well as blends made from Marsanne, Rousanne, and Viognier. The winery has produced one rosé
Rosé
A rosé is a type of wine that has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.- Production techniques :There are three major ways to produce rosé...
made from Grenache. The winery's signature red wine bottling, The Spaniard, is a blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, and Graciano grapes. Other red bottlings include varietal Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Grenache bottlings, as well as red blends made with grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot
Petit verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen, it is added in small amounts to add tannin, colour and flavour to the...
, Syrah, and Grenache. The winery ages their waines in American, French, and Hungarian Oak
Hungarian Oak
Quercus frainetto , the Hungarian Oak or Italian Oak, is a species of oak, native to southeastern Europe and Turkey; it is classified in Quercus sect...
barrels. In 2007, the 2003 Syrah and the 2003 Spaniard both won gold medals in the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
Wine Competition. Two of Twisted Oak Winery's wines won gold medals at the Orange County Fair
Orange County Fair (California)
The Orange County Fair, abbreviated as the OC Fair, is a 23-day annual fair that is held every summer at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.-History:...
. Later in the year, the Torcido won a double-gold and the Tempranillo won Best of Sierra Foothills AVA appellation at the California Exposition and State Fair.
The winery has two estate vineyards, one located on the property in Vallecito, and the other located on property owned by the winery near Murphys. The winery purchases grapes from ten other vineyards in Calaveras County and three in other parts of California. Silvaspoons Vineyard, located in the Alta Mesa AVA
Alta Mesa AVA
The Alta Mesa AVA is an American Viticultural Area entirely located within the Lodi AVA in Sacramento County, California in the United States. The appellation's name is Spanish for "high table", a reference to the higher elevation of the land compared to the surrounding terrain.-Geography and...
, is the only vineyard outside of the Sierra Foothills AVA from which Twisted Oak Winery sources grapes.
Custom releases
To help promote the winery, owner Jeff Stai has personally donated about 50 bottles of wine each year for use as trophiesTrophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
in recognition of winning category performances in the California QSO Party, an annual amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
competition. About half of the wines are awarded to competitors in California and half to those outside of California. The wine trophies are personalized with custom front labels
Wine label
Wine labels are important sources of information for consumers since they tell the type and origin of the wine. The label is often the only resource a buyer has for evaluating the wine before purchasing it...
.
External links
- El Bloggo Torcido official winery blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
- Calaveras Winegrape Alliance