Agua Dulce Winery – A Vineyard in Santa Clarita?

 Agua Dulce Winery is Los Angeles County’s largest fully operational vineyard and winery and has won hundreds of wine awards. Established in Santa Clarita in 1999, the winery grows six varietals of grapes: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Sangiovese. Thousands of wine lovers visit this “hidden gem” in Agua Dulce each year and ask the same question. “Why Santa Clarita?”
The goal when the winery was built was to produce Bold Red Wines and have the land surrounding the vineyard recognized as an appellation. In wine vernacular, an appellation is a region of land where exceptional climate and soil meet to grow superior grapes. It is an application process where soil samples and climate studies are sent to be observed through the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. These characteristics are found in Santa Clarita.  In 2006 the Sierra Pelona Valley Appellation was established. Your first question when choosing a wine should be, “What appellation are these grapes from?” The appellation gives a lot of information about the particulars of the wine. Great wine comes from great fruit.
The growing season for grapes is March through September. During that time the entire vineyard is the responsibility of the winemaker.  As soon as the grapes are picked they begin the crushing process, preparing equipment for fermentation, and readying barrels for after the wine has been pressed. Once the new wine is barreled it is a love affair between the winemaker and the barrels. Agua Dulce Wine ages its wines in the best oak barrels available. Eighty percent of our 1,000 barrels come from France. The remainder come from America and Hungary.
It is this world class inventory of oak barrels, exceptional fruit, and our impeccable winemaker Nico Azios joining forces to make Agua Dulce Winery the Premiere Winery Destination in Los Angeles.
Please come and see us. Enjoy the immense beauty of the 90-acre property… And, of course, the wine!
Wine Tasting Daily: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., located at 9640 Sierra Highway in Santa Clarita. Call 661-268-7402 and visit www.aguadulcewinery.com.