Quivira (“key-VEER-ah!”) Vineyard & Winery

Quivira specializes in varietals known to excel in the Dry Creek Valley – notably, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. Small lots of Rhone Varietals and Petite Sirah are also produced.

The tasting room is a bright, lively place with a unique wooden oval ceiling, giving you the impression that you are inside a giant barrel. There are three gnarled old grape vines that the owners pulled from their vineyard and mounted on the tasting room’s back wall. They possess a bit of a biblical look as they gaze down at visitors tasting their crimson tonic from glass chalices. A nice stone patio allows visitors to taste al fresco.

There are tours at 10am daily (call for an appointment), which include a vigorous walk through the estate’s vineyards highlighted with a tasting of the estate Sauvignon Blanc under a majestic 100-year-old Black Mission Fig Tree. This is followed by an in-depth view of the cellar and winemaking process at the winery. The tour concludes with a private tasting and pairings of seasonal artisan foods.

The wines here are almost all estate-grown. The goal is to capture and accentuate the luscious, lively fruit flavors of their biodynamically farmed vineyard. Similar to organic farming, biodynamic practices focus of the health of the soil, prohibiting the use of chemicals that can harm microorganisms and encouraging vigorous biological activity. In addition, there is an emphasis on timing the vineyard work with nature’s natural rhythms. The result is wines that have a sense of place (terroir), with a great mouth-feel and a bright, natural acidity.

In November 2005, Quivira was awarded its certification and is now an officially certified organic and biodynamic vineyard. Also in 2005, Quivira became a solar-powered winery, with a 55-kilowatt solar electric system projected to supply
100 percent of their electrical needs.