Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

After lunch and our wine pairings we began our tour of the Peju Province Winery with Herta Peju.

The first stop was the tasting room which includes the 50 foot Peju Tower a collaboration between Calvin Straub and Tony Peju. The Tower was completed in 2003 and is designed to resemble a French provincial tower made of stucco and stone complete with a copper roof. The Ulurhu Room was added later and has beautiful silk covered lights and a beautiful red and green quartzite floor which I did NOT photograph well (mea culpa).

Next we began our tour of the grounds. Behind the tasting room are some of the vineyards and the rear access to the winery. The wooden barrels are the emergency water supply. As you walk clear of the winery buildings there is a wall (virtually) of plantings and trees. When you walk through this area you enter the family’s private domain which is exactly what we did (though some in the group did take a moment to check out the Taxi-yellow stretch Hummer limo. Assessment? Even more hideous than it appeared from the outside). In the course of our tour we walked past the poultry coop (HA! Girls! People really do keep backyard chickens), a pomegranate tree, another of peach and a mulberry from which we snatched a few berries and then back to vines that were undergoing veraison. The final stop on our tour was the old family garage which is the site of the original tasting room. You could feel the history in that room and I certainly hope Mrs. Peju keeps it just as it is…

Peju Province Winery
8466 St. Helena Highway
Rutherford, CA 94573
707.963.3600
www.peju.com

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Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Our next stop after the CIA was to head into Rutherford and to lunch at Peju Province Winery. Founded in 1982 by Tony and Herta “HB” Peju the winery has been producing red, white and rose wines at their boutique winery.

We were joined by Katie Lewis, Communications Coordinator who gave us the background of the winery and chatted with us as we ate our lunch of sandwiches and salads. (I loved the cantaloupe and prosciutto salad… it solves the issue of how to eat the wrapped cantaloupe/prosciutto by making it all bite-sized and I will make it here at the house when I can keep a cantaloupe for longer than 12 hours) As we were finishing our meal Herta Peju came out, poured Sauvignon Blanc and began speaking about her wines.  Wine, horticulture and art seem to be viewed as kindred spirits at Peju.  The vineyard was already producing wine grapes for when the Peju’s first purchased the property.  Eventually, the family began producing their own vintages beginning with the first block of Cabernet Sauvignon that is known as the H.B. Vineyard.  Soon after, the family’s garage was converted into a tasting room and the winery began to grow.

Currently, the winery produces 35,000 cases annually and has expanded from the original 3o acres to include 350 acres in Pope Valley and 86 acres in Dutch Henry Canyon.  In fact, as the next generation of Pejus have joined the business, sustainability has become a bigger issue.  In the last few years the vineyards have received certifications from the California Certified Organic Farmers, Napa County Green Winery and Bay Area Green Business.  The winery has installed 720 photovoltaic panels atop the winery roof which produces enough electricity to power 40 average homes and will reduce Peju’s electrical demand by 36%.

We were given two glasses with which to taste during our lunch and chat and I used the opportunity to try some of those wines side by side.

For instance, I was able to try the Provence blend alongside the Rose of Syrah. It is remarkable to taste seemingly similar wines and find how different they really are…

More about Peju coming up….

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