Many times as I browse the shelves of my favorite wine store, I have read many labels trying to see if the descriptions of the wine could satisfy my palate.
I have noticed many times that some bottles may say such and such winery and others say such and such vineyard and that made me a little curious…
...I really found it an intriguing detail and so I researched the differences between a Vineyard and Winery.
What is a Vineyard?
I will start with a Vineyard. A brief description of a vineyard is a farm, field or land where the grapes used to produce wine are grown. The land where the vines are planted and some of the characteristics of the wine are determined by the terrier or land and the minerals of the soil and climate.
Some vineyards are small while others are vast and some have gained popularity in different regions and became sort of famous for producing great wines.
Such regional areas include Napa Valley, Rioja, Mendoza Argentina, Tuscany Italy, Etc. To be more descriptive, a vineyard is not necessarily the place where the wine is made. Some vineyards are small and do not have the necessary means to make the wine so they ship out the grapes to a winery to make the wine.
If a bottle says it is from a vineyard then most likely they are responsible for both growing and production of the wine.
What is a Winery?
A winery is responsible for the total creation and bottling of a wine. Everything from de-stemming, crushing, fermentation and bottling are performed at the Winery.
Many of the bigger Vineyards and Wineries are at the same place. Some Wineries solely use their own grapes while others may use the grapes from smaller vineyards to mix different varietals with.
Some of the more famous wineries are Robert Mondavi Winery, Rubicon Estate Wineries, Etc.
So there is a difference between Vineyards and Wineries although a majority of Wineries are located on the vineyards they represent.
