3. The Old, Natural Ways Are Best
Testa wines are what they term “clean crafted” natural wine. It is made in its pure form with no additives, and then it’s fermented with native yeast and filtered. All the grapes are farmed using no chemicals, with Maria’s husband and two boys enforcing this ecological approach. They are also dry-farmed, which is possible because old vines have deep roots.
Production of the wine follows the traditions of Gaetano and Maria Testa, who established the vineyards in 1912. The family worked side by side, and that continues today. The grapes are hand-picked and crushed one tub at a time. Wines are stored in the original wine cellar.
Each year the family produces Simply Black, a red blend, and Simply White, a white blend. In the old days, grapes were referred to as either black or white. The Simply line carries on that family tradition of pure, handcrafted wine.
Marie has Italian wine-making genes from both sides of her family.
“I think my belief and trust in the wines comes more naturally to me. Fine wine takes time and patience. You have to know and trust in the wine and not do too much to it but guide it to its path,” she said.
4. A Wine Region Is Only As Good As The Community Who Creates That Wine
When Maria began making her first wines, she received a lot of support and encouragement from long-established winemakers. As I travel around the Pacific Northwest wine regions, I have seen how winemakers help and encourage the new guys.
One winemaker told me that if someone comes to our region and tastes a bad wine, it reflects on us. Maria and Testa Vineyards are part of the Consortium Mendocino and produce a bottle with the Coro Mendocino label each year. Coro means chorus and is the first wine of its kind in the United States to set strict blending and aging parameters to produce a wine distinctive to Mendocino Country. The wine blend is based on 40-70% zinfandel and is completed with other varietals. There is a detailed protocol, including barrel aging for a year and bottle aging for a year. Each wine goes through a series of blind tastings before it is certified to carry the Coro Mendocino label. If you are interested in visiting the area to taste wine, visiting vineyards that produce a Coro is a good way to taste a wine that celebrates the area's heritage.
I feel a good red blend is where a winemaker's talents really shine. It is a craft. I love visiting when Maria is working on new blends, and I enjoy getting to taste the differences based on the percentage of varietals.
January 25, 2021 at 07:39AM
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