ampelos vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills
We joined Peter and Rebecca on an early harvest morning to learn about what makes their vineyard so special.
ampelos vineyard is at the eastern end of the Sta Rita Hills appellation - a cool-climate area that is perfect for growing Pinot Noir and Syrah.
ampelos is a Greek word meaning “vine”.
Their story: It all started with Peter having a vision of owning property on the beach where he could plant grapes and enjoy the ocean. We soon realized that you could not grow grapes on the beach and decided to purchase land in Santa Barbara County. It did not take us long to find just what we had been looking for. We purchased 82 acres in 1999 not knowing that it would one day become the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Peter’s vision was to one day plant a vineyard and maybe even make his own wines! Our vineyard consultant advised us that we had a great piece of property and, with a lot of courage and patience, could have a great vineyard. 2004 brought forth the inaugural ampelos vineyard harvest! 15 tons of Pinot Noir and 6 tons of Syrah were picked, and the program of purchasing grapes from warmer regions continued to add to the “spice cabinet”. This was just the beginning of the journey, but we are firm believers in the journey being the destination.
Bio-Dynamic Farming
Peter, Rebecca, Lindsay and Don share a commitment to the environment which is reflected in their vineyard and winery practices as well as in their personal lives. ampelos cellars practices and promotes biodynamic farming in the vineyard. Biodynamics embraces all aspects of organic but takes the notion further by holistically treating the entire vineyard as a living organism
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