Valley News

3/27/2008
Ripe Place at the ripe time
Suisun Valley Offers ideal climate for winery owner
By Barry Eberling - Daily Republic

On Johnson pointed to a 5-foot tall wall map of California to demonstrate why his new Winterhawk winery in Suisun Valley is well-situated to grow fine wine grapes.

He showed how ocean-influenced winds typically blow through the Carquinez Strait on summer afternoons, bringing cool evenings and nights to the area after warm days. That’s different than most of the Central Valley, which is out of reach of those ocean breezes.

“The fluctuations in temperatures make Chardonnay taste like Chardonnay, not like Thompson’s seedless,” Johnson said.

Johnson opened the Winterhawk winery on 110 acres near Abernathy Road this year. The winery grows such grapes as merlot, chardonnay and pinot noir, which thrive with the cool nights.

Cooler weather grapes don’t provide enough wine varieties to support an onsite tasting room. Instead, Johnson sells wine at the recently opened Suisun Valley Wine Cooperative at 4495 Suisun Valley Road and on his Web site, where he has a wine club.

He also offers monthly wine education seminars through his wine club. Participants learn such things as what type of local wines match up with locally grown produce and how stylistic decisions make wines taste differently.

“I get upset when I hear people say, ‘I don’t like Chardonnay because it tastes like an oak tree,’ ” Johnson said.

The grape did its job, he said. That oak taste results from decisions made by the winemaker and because of the winery’s style, he added.

Johnson wants his wine to taste like the grape did at the time it was picked, which means spending lots of time in the vineyards to find the right moment for harvesting. Bigger wineries that get grapes from diverse locations can’t do this because they want all of the grapes at one time to create wine, he said.

“We have the artisan approach to making wine, not the commodity approach,” Johnson said.

Above, Don Johnson has recently opened Winterhawk Winery on Abernathy Road in Fairfield. Johnson says the Suisun Valley climate and location make it ideal for making fine wines. Left, every bottle of Winterhawk features a different bird on the custom-designed label.

Winterhawk’s winemaker is Matt Smith, who has degrees in both chemistry and enology, which is the study of wine. Smith uses his scientific background and sense of taste to create his wines. Wine making in the 21st century is a field where science and art converge.

Smith not only makes Winterhawk wines, but also his own Blacksmith wines. Blacksmith is also available at the Suisun Valley Wine Cooperative.

Although Winterhawk is new to the area, Johnson is not. He bought a Gordon Valley farm in 1977 that came with vineyards and a contract to sell grapes to Sebastiani. Johnson, who was raised on a Michigan dairy, listened to local farmers and learned how to grow grapes.

He started planning the Winterhawk winery a few years ago. But building from scratch in the middle of the Suisun Valley some half-mile from the road took plenty of work. The site initially lacked things that city dwellers take for granted, such as electricity and phone service.

The name Winterhawk comes from the red-tailed hawks that visit the vineyards in the winter, looking for the Winterhawk wine bottle labels.

That’s important.

“It’s got to be an eyecatcher that makes your first sale,” Johnson said. “After that, you’d better have good wine in the bottle.”

For more information about the business, wine club and seminars, go to: http://www.winterhawkwinery.com

Archives: 02/18/08 - Suisun Valley prepares to grow wine business; 6/22/2007 - Suisun Valley Wineries Open Co-Op Tasting Room; 8/27/2007 - Farms plant seeds for family outings; 8/27/2007 - A harvest of creativity; 3/23/2007 - National Agriculture Week celebrates puts focus on local farmers; 3/11/2007 - Time for a new approach? -- Suisun Valley wine growers seek different methods to grow business; 2/14/2007 - Ag ambassador making Suisun Valley a must-see destination; 9/2/2006 - Pick your own flowers; 9/2006 - A cornucopia of fruit/ Local produce sweet and plentiful; 9/2006 - Solano County grows grapes by the ton/ Many end up bottled in some of California's best vintages; 9/2006 - Cut & dried/Farm family's roots in fruit; August 28, 2006 - Farmers showcase produce/Sowing seed goodwill on the farm; 05/14/2006 - Three-part series examining the future of Suisun Valley Agriculture; 4/3/2006 - Welcome to Fairfield "LED" Sign; 3/24/2006 - Suisun Valley Committee wants wine tasting room; 3/24/2006 - Wine room is a great idea; 3/29/2006 - Agriculture to get close look; 2/5/2006 - Suisun Valley's Hidden, oily secret; 11/15/2005 - KCBS Treasure Hunt Promotion Concludes with V.I.P. Tour