Matchbook – Matchbook Wines

Category: Matchbook

 

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November 29th, 2022

Matchbook is Certified Green

by: Lane Giguiere

Maybe you’ve noticed the sheep. Or you’ve seen the carpet of green grass, peas and flowers blanketing the vineyard floor.

Both are evidence of Matchbook’s conversion from conventional farming to regenerative and organic. Three years into this project, our sustainable efforts have been recognized by Project Harvest’s California Rules Sustainable Winegrowing certification on the 400 acres of estate vineyards.

The California Rules Certified Green seal signifies a third-party audited commitment to farming that is environmentally and socially responsible while also being economically viable. This credential is just the first step in our mission to become certified organic and regenerative.

While the winery’s initial goal of improving vine health through regenerative farming was to increase the quality of our Estate Bottled wines, “The environmental benefits are now as big a focus,” says John Giguiere, owner of Matchbook Wine Company. The prolonged drought and rising costs make the move to regenerative agriculture more important. Cover crops, grazing sheep and compost teas have eliminated the need for synthetic fertilizers, created a carbon sink and increased the water-holding capacity of the soil.

“It’s been invigorating to take on this large and very important project at this stage of our careers,” Giguiere continues. “Reversing 40 years of farming philosophy is not easy, but we see the need to reduce our farming inputs and water usage while increasing quality and profitability. Sustainable and regenerative agriculture is a win for both the farmer and the environment.”

The California Rules Certified Green Sustainable Winegrowing seal will be added to Matchbook’s estate grown wines beginning with the 2022 vintage.


January 18th, 2022

2022 is Off to a Fab Start!

by: Aileen Niizawa Morris


The new year is shining with GOLD, SILVER & BRONZE on ALL 13 wines we submitted to the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The following received awards for:

GOLD ~
• 2108 The Arsonist Red Blend
• 2017 Tinto Rey Super Tinto Red Blend

SILVER ~
• 2020 Pillars of Hercules Red Blend
• 2020 The Arsonist Chardonnay
• 2020 Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2020 Matchbook Chardonnay
• 2019 Matchbook Malbec
• 2018 Matchbook Petit Verdot
• 2020 Matchbook Petite Sirah
• 2021 Tinto Rey Rosé
• 2019 Tinto Rey Tempranillo
• 2019 Black’s Station Cabernet Sauvignon

BRONZE ~
• 2020 Tinto Rey Verdejo

Come visit our tasting room to taste these award-winning wines!

Wines are available for purchase in our tasting room and on our online wine store.


January 28th, 2021

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

by: Virginia Valdez Sandfer

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is February 11th. Today (and every day) we recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. We want to shine the spotlight on an awesome woman on our team – lab director, Mikayla Callen Ruvalcaba. She is pictured above testing the yeast and checking fermentation on our Malbec, Cabernet, and Petit Verdot.

Mikayla has been working with Matchbook since the summer of 2013. She is originally from Wisconsin and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Carroll University in WI. Mikayla loves reading, writing, and spending time with her adorable 8-month old son and loving husband.

Thanks for all you do, Mikayla!

 


December 8th, 2020

The Silver Shovel Showdown!

by: Virginia Valdez Sandfer

After fermentation is complete, cellar crew members must take on the feat of scooping tons of grape skins out of our wine tanks. With the proper gear and some muscle, our hardworking crew gets down and dirty. Every year there is a fierce and friendly competition between the crew to get on the leaderboard for the most tons shoveled. To add to the fun, our Head Winemaker, Dan Cederquist, adds a silver plaque with the winner’s name to a shiny silver shovel that hangs all year in the winery office. This year, the winner was also the recipient of a custom made silver shovel t-shirt.

Our 2020 winner was J.P. Bermudez, coming in at 486.1 tons!

“J.P. was an incredible force this year, jumping into nearly all the tanks in the first 5 weeks. He was the clear leader from the beginning and had such a commanding lead that at the end. When he was called back to run the bottling line there was nobody close to catching him. J.P. ended up with 486.1 tons.” – Dan Cederquist

Also, recognized for his efforts for the 2019 year, was Adan Gallo who received a custom t-shirt to show off his bragging rights. But he didn’t let that silver shovel go easily …

“2019 was a huge year for us with over 2200 tons of reds fermentation. Adan dug out a record 498.7 tons nearly breaking the 500-ton mark. These 2 guys are some of the hardest working crew that I’ve ever seen. Hats off to them both!”- Dan Cederquist, Head Winemaker

Cheers to both J.P. and Adan, we’re proud to have you as part of our team!