In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies established Schramsberg Vineyards, on property originally owned by Jacob Schram, setting out to make world-class sparkling wine to rival the prestige and quality of French Champagne. Their son Hugh now manages the winery. The estate is located in Napa Valley’s Diamond Mountain District, totaling 220 acres with 50 acres under vine. Its historic caves, which cover 30,000 square feet, were dug in the 1880s. Schramsberg produces limited quantities of handcrafted sparkling wines from grapes grown in cool climate vineyards throughout the North Coast. They are unique among California sparkling wine houses in that they barrel ferment 25% of their juice to produce rich, flavorful, complex wines. A world-class winery and recognized leader in the California wine industry, Schramsberg produces America’s finest sparkling wines which have been served proudly at state functions at the White House and abroad for decades.
Wine maker notes
Our Brut Rose is flavorful, complex and dry, makingit both versatile with food and delicious by itself as an aperitif. Each fall we select base wines with the right concentration, balance, and length to create this unique sparkling wine. The character of this wine is most strongly influenced by the elegance of Pinot Noir, but small amounts of Chardonnay add spice, structure and length on the palate.
Hand picking, careful handling and gentle pressing produce a wine without skin and seed tannin. The wine then ages on the yeast for about two and a half years, just enough to achieve refined effervescence without diminishing its fresh appeal.
Each year, the fruit from a few small Pinot Noir vineyard blocks are ripened for an additional two weeks in the vine, then crushed and fermented on the skins to produce select Pinot Noir base wine lots. The ultimate sparkling wine’s subtle Rose color and its focused strawberry/raspberry-like flavors are marked by the 2-3additions of these red wines prior to the initial bottling and again with the finishing dosage.
Enjoy the rich, delicious sparkler on almost any occasion: at your favorite restaurant, with special dinner at home at a tailgate picnic or a backyard barbecue. Try it with grilled salmon, seared ahi tuna, juicy duck tenderloin, flavorful pasta dishes, with aged cheeses and dried meats, or with assorted fruits.
Among other notable events, this sparkling wine was selected for White House luncheons honoring the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg, and later Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Great Britain.
Producer
In 1862, German immigrants Jacob and Annie Schram established Schramsberg as the
first winery with vineyards planted on the hillsides of the Napa Valley. With the help of
Chinese laborers, vineyards replaced scrub oak, and a network of underground caves
was tunneled into the soft, volcanic rock.
In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies assumed stewardship of the winery with the mission to
produce America’s first méthode champenoise sparkling wines, using the noble grapes
of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the classic, old-world tradition. Each vineyard would be
vinified separately to create small, individual lots of base wine, then painstakingly
selected and handcrafted into America’s artisan sparkling wines.
The spark that ignited the American sparkling wine industry in 1965 continues to burn in
the second generation of the Davies family to helm the winery. Today Hugh Davies,
winemaker and general manager of Schramsberg, is devoted to carrying on his parent’s
vision: to create America’s premier sparkling wines. Our winemaker’s passion for
constant refinement of vineyard sources and winemaking techniques is captured in each
bottle. The resulting refinements to our original vision are evident each year in our new
releases.
We invite you to share in this American tradition by enjoying our proudly
crafted sparkling wines.
