A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of tanks known as tank farms. Wineries may have existed as long as 8,000 years ago.
Ancient history
The earliest known evidence of winemaking at a relatively large scale, if not evidence of actual wineries, has been found in the Middle East. In 2011 a team of archaeologists discovered a 6000 year old wine press in a cave in the Areni region of Armenia, and identified the site as a small winery. Previously, in the northern Zagros Mountains in Iran, jars over 7000 years old were discovered to contain tartaric acid crystals (a chemical marker of wine), providing evidence of winemaking in that region. Archaeological excavations in the southern Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli uncovered evidence of wine-making equipment (containers called qvevri) dating back 8000 years. In 2017 the remnants of an 8000-year-old facility for large-scale production was found 20 miles south of Tbilisi, Georgia.
Purpose
Wineries typically employ winemakers to produce various wines from grapes by following the winemaking process. This process involves the fermentation of fruit, as well as blending and aging of the juice. The grapes may be from vineyards owned by the winery or may be brought in from other locations. Many wineries also give tours and have cellar doors or tasting rooms where customers can taste wines before they make a purchase. Winery architecture is very varied and rich and it is used by wineries as a way to promote their wines and cellar doors.
Types and locations
While some associate wineries with large wine making regions such as Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley in California, the Barossa Valley in Australia or the legendary wine regions of France (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne) and Italy, wineries can be found nearly everywhere. The east coast of the United States also has winemaking regions like New York's Finger Lakes region, Aquidneck Island, RI and Long Island, NY and Cape May, NJ. Wineries do not have to be located adjacent to vineyards; grapes can be shipped anywhere. In addition, people make wine out of other fruits and plants (dandelion wine, apple wine, strawberry wine, honey wine, passion fruit wine), so these specialty wineries tend to pop up where the other substances are grown. For example, a winery in Hawaii produces pineapple wine.
Farm wineries
A class of winery license known as the farm winery allows farms to produce and sell wines on site. Farm wineries differ from commercial wineries in that the fruit which is the source of the wine is usually produced on the farm, and the final product is also sold on the farm. States such as New York have given a special permit to open a satellite store in a tourist area. New York's passing of the Farm Winery Act of 1976 set an example for other states to pass similar laws.
Farm wineries usually operate at a smaller scale than commercial wineries. Farm wineries are a form of value added marketing, known as agritourism, for farmers who may otherwise struggle to show a profit.
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, divided
- 2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped, divided
- 1 (15.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, eggs, and 1/2 cup melted butter; mix well. Stir in 1 cup pecans, until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture evenly into baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine cake mix and cinnamon; mix well. Sprinkle cake mixture evenly over nut mixture. Drizzle remaining 1/2 cup melted butter evenly over top of cake. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup pecans.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and set in center. Let cool slightly, and serve or allow to cool completely.
***A scoop of vanilla ice cream goes perfectly with this yummy dump cake!
1952 – Steven Seagal, American actor and martial artist
