Stirm Wirz Vineyard Riesling

About Stirm Wirz Vineyard Riesling

Stirm Wirz Vineyard Riesling comes from the second-oldest Riesling vineyard in California. Pure fruit expression and bright acidity abound.

About Stirm Wine Company‘s Philosophy

“It’s our belief that authentic wine is a direct reflection of the specific patch of earth it comes from. This ethos drives us to work with the most unique and rugged vineyards found on the central coast. These special sites have a story to tell unlike any other. We have two simple goals that direct every operation above all else: to present the narrative of the growing season in a delicious and transparent format and to craft a wine with a strong foundation intended to age for decades. The fundamentals that we follow are old-school; we work with the seasons. We spend the majority of our time working in the vineyards, with our harvest season spent between monitoring natural fermentations to picking grapes and the overtime hours dedicated to fixing broken gear. Every year is unique, so the vineyard and cellar practices evolve annually to adapt to the changes each season brings forth. These simple methods require thoughtful, timely decision-making, detailed work, and the patience to allow the wine to evolve at its own pace. The results are singular, authentic wines that represent a region, a site, and are a piece of living California history.”

Why Riesling?

“We could just give you the obvious answer on why we make Riesling. We love it. It’s not only our belief that this *terpene-rich grape is the most dynamic, the most transparent, and the most exciting; many of the world’s top sommeliers and wine critics consider it the greatest white wine grape of all. To understand why we chose to pursue working with this grape here in California, a brief introduction to our state’s past is a great place to start.

The history of California viticulture goes back to the 1700s when Spanish missionaries brought their imported grapes here up from Baja California, Mexico. The first variety planted here earned the acronym ‘Mission” grape; today also known as Listán Prieto which originated in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. Up until around the 1850s, the Mission grape was virtually the only variety planted in California.

The “Gold Rush” that began in 1848 brought in a wave of immigration from the eastern U.S. and abroad. While most ’49ers’ failed to amass a fortune in gold, they discovered other areas California offered an opportunity to strike it rich; the abundance of fertile ground. As with many immigrants, these original entrepreneurs brought with them important pieces of cultural heritage to their new homeland. One of these pioneers, Agoston Haraszthy, is credited with introducing the first Vitis vinifera vines to the state (he imported over 100,000 cuttings!) in 1852. One of his greatest early successes was Riesling.

Riesling enjoyed a massively popular era in California, the U.S., and Europe for over one hundred years (the 1850s-1960s). At times in this era, the greatest Riesling’s were higher in price than the fabled wines of Bordeaux. Riesling was one of the most widely planted varieties in California, from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Napa. If history shows us any indication of future results, as we believe, we are once again betting on this grape to pave the path ahead.

As climate change continues to spur the unpredictability of weather and extreme weather events (with the notable exception we continue to get warmer annually), there are few white grapes better suited to withstand the impacts than Riesling. Here’s some data to back the claim: it’s drought-tolerant, has extreme winter hardiness, buds late, has good heat tolerance, ripens late, has very high acidity, and has stylistic variation unmatched in most other grapes. Much like it was done long before us, it’s our mission to pioneer the new age of California Riesling.”