Downtown Winters' Celebrates it's Spanish Roots through 'TempFest' Weekend

Winters, CA – One of the first commercial wineries east of Sonoma in the Sacramento Valley was a winery started by John Wolfskill in the Winters area in the 1840s, and some of the first post-prohibition commercial plantings in California of the Tempranillo grape, a variety originating from and grown widely in the Rioja region of Spain, were planted in the Dunnigan Hills just north of Winters in the late 1990’s. A few years later in 2000 with 30 years of grape vine growing experience in his upbringing and background, fifth generation Yolo County farmer Dan Martinez of Berryessa Gap Vineyards planted Tempranillo in the foothills west of Winters on the Coble Ranch. Shortly thereafter, in 2007, Chris Turkovich of Turkovich Family Wines planted Tempranillo on Button-Turkovich property also west of Winters.

In the intervening years numerous plantings of Tempranillo have taken place in and around Winters by wine enthusiasts and home wine makers. As Winters and western Yolo County continue to grow in notoriety for producing high quality Tempranillo - both Capay Valley Vineyards in Brooks and Matchbook Wines in Zamora both north of Winters also produce Tempranillo - local Winters wineries, home winemakers and businesses come together once a year to celebrate Tempranillo at Winters’s Annual Tempfest. This is a tribute to Tempranillo and its Spanish roots, and to Winters’ rich Spanish and Mexican heritage dating from the Wolfskill Grant that brought settlers to the area in the 1840s to the numerous Spanish immigrants who settled in Winters in the first few decades of the 20th century (~1910-1935).

The goal of Winters’ Annual Tempfest is to educate consumers on Tempranillo and other Iberian wines, recalling their Spanish origins, and to allow visitors to experience numerous local variations of this stunning Iberian red wine. Wine and restaurant specials run Thursday through Sunday November 16th.

BERRYESSA GAP VINEYARDS will celebrate Tempranillo and their Spanish heritage all weekend with Spanish music, a grape stomp and Tempranillo fights kick off their events on Friday evening. Saturday November 15, from 1-4 pm, enjoy an authentic grape stomp as you sip Tempranillo. Tempranillo Flights continue on Sunday featuring library selections and the 2008 Rocky Ridge Tempranillo, a San Francisco Chronicle top 100 pick.

ROOTSTOCK SPECIALTY GIFTS AND TASTING ROOM is starts off the weekend with live music by The Hollow Point Stumblers on Friday, Nov. 14th, at 7pm. The Hollow Point Stumblers world music vibe is upbeat and is perfect a jump-off for the weekend. RootStock partners with local Winters home winemakers Chris Rose, and Jeff & Penny Uppington on Saturday, Nov. 15th, where their home wine makers will be in the tasting room from 4pm-7pm. The home winemakers share their experiences as home winemakers and to talk about their Tempranillo wines. (SATURDAY EVENING ONLY) Sunday from 12-3pm Join Artist Matthew Harral as he demonstrates painting with Tempranillo wine. Enjoy live music Spanish wine & cheese as you experience firsthand how Harral paints with Tempranillo Wine. Route 3 Wines will be in their tasting room at RootStock throughout the weekend to taste their Iberian white wine, Albariño, and a red Grenache, also an Iberian wine.

TURKOVICH FAMILY WINES focuses on Tempranillo this weekend, and will celebrate Tempfest with Spanish Tapas and Tempranillo on Friday evening. On Sat. Nov. 15th, feast on Spanish sausage sandwiches with live Spanish guitar music by their neighbors, ARC Guitars, from 5-9pm. On Sunday, they will continue the fun with Tapas & Tempranillo in the tasting room.