Quinta de Gomariz lies in the region of Vale do Ave, the heart of Vinho Verde region, where its 17 hectares of vines possess excellent characteristics for the production of high quality wines, using only the native grape varieties of the region. Research and innovation are our main allies in the production of excellent quality wines, which have received national and international recognition year after year. Our cellar was built from the ground up, in order to house the “New Generation of Vinhos Verdes". The versatile and functional building, where the most modern technology is used, along with continuous research and innovation, produce wines with a unique and avant-garde profile.
DOMAINE DU GROS PATA
We first discovered Domaine du Gros Pata at the Vinisud expo in Montpelier, France in February of 2008. While exploring new and exciting French producers, we came across the Gros Pata stand and were quite impressed by what we sampled. The white and rose wines were lively, bright and fresh, and the red wines were deliciously fruity and well-balanced. Even more impressive and intriguing for us, was the fact that the young woman pouring the wines, Sabine Garagnon, was “running the show” – something not typical for a French producer. Through our experiences in Spain working with young and upcoming oenologists and winemakers, this just seemed like the perfect fit for us. With two degrees, one in Viticulture, the other in Oenology, we look forward to seeing where Sabine will take Domaine du Gros Pata.
The domaine is situated in the commune of Vaison la Romaine, in of the beautiful Provence region of France, roughly 25 miles northeast of Avignon. The vineyard is part of the Appellation Cotes du Rhone controlee, and the regions vines enjoy a healthy dose of the Provencal sun which helps produce rich, robust wines from the varieties that thrive in the region. These include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cincault and Mourvedre for their red and rose wines, and Clairette, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Grenache Blanc for their whites.
The name “Gros Pata” is derived from the copper coins, or patas, that were once used to pay tolls when traveling from one commune to another in the Provence region. On one side there was a cross, and the other an image of the keys of St. Peter of Sautoir, which today is the logo of the vineyard. While the Domaine was founded at the beginning of the century, it wasn’t until 1978 that Paul Garagnon decided to create his own cellar instead of selling to the local cooperative cellars.
He controlled Gros Pata until 1992 when he unfortunately passed away and his son Gerald assumed control of the domaine, with help from his wife Geneveive and their daughter Sabine. Today, after four generations of winemaking, the “Garagnon et Fille” continue with operations and are still as passionate as ever about their wines.
RAVENTOS I BLANC
For over an astonishing 500 years, the Raventos family has been involved with winemaking in the Catalonia region of Spain. Growing grapes on their historic 90 hectares (just over 222 acres) that has been in the family since 1497, the quality of their wines is unparalleled in the entire region, and certainly Spain. Located in the town of Sant Sadurní d’ Anoia in the Penedés region, the Raventos I Blanc winery was founded in 1986 by the father and son team of Josep and Manuel Raventos. Unfortunately, Josep passed away just 20 days after founding the winery, but Manuel decided to carry on the project with the same passion and ideals he and his father originally set out to achieve- to create sparkling wines with elegance and simplicity, and to put sparkling Spanish wine on the world map as a legitimate sparkling wine, not to imitation champagne.
Luckily for all of us they have indeed succeeded in their mission, as their sparkling wines are without a doubt some of the finest we have ever tasted, Spanish or otherwise. The current winemaker Pepe Raventos, is on a mission to bring back the prestige and quality to Spanish sparkling wines. After long and thoughtful consideration, Raventos decided to leave the Cava D.O. in 2012, and have been labeling their wines as “Conca del Riu Anoia,” which is the geographic ancestral home of sparkling wines in Spain. Raventos believes that there is the opportunity for honest wines resulting from a single estate, a specific climate, native grape varieties and a rigorous, well-defined and respectful form of viticulture.
REYNOLDS WINE GROWERS
Thomas Reynolds, an English seaman and merchant, arrived in Portugal in 1820, attracted by the potential of the wine trade. He settled in the northern town of Porto with his two sons, Thomas and Robert, and from there they supplied their London store with a variety of products from the Iberian Peninsula. In 1838, they became involve in the cork industry and set up a factory for the manufacture of cork stoppers in Alburquerque (Spain), where they lived for eleven years. It was a profitable business and soon new cork factories opened in Portugal and Spain.
The family returned to Portugal in 1850 and moved to Estremoz for a short time. However, Thomas and his son of the same name were not the settling kind: stirred by the same spirit of entrepreneurship, they set sail for New Zealand, a long voyage of 130 days, taking with them a large flock of merino sheep. They never returned to Portugal.
Robert, meanwhile, had remained in Estremoz to take care of the business and soon expanded it with the purchase of new land for the production of quality wine, an activity for which he was particularly passionate. The Alentejo soon became the resting place in Portugal of the Reynolds family and of Robert, the family patriarch. It was here that his first son, Robert Rafael, was born, who later had a son called Carlos. Carlos’s first child was a daughter whom he named Gloria – Gloria Reynolds. Current owner, Julian Reynolds, creates his wines in their honor, bestowing each wine with the name of his ancestors- Gloria, Carlos, Robert, and Julian.
MICHEL FONNE
The estate is found in the commune of Bennwihr, located halfway between Kaysersberg and Riquewihr. The village was rebuilt along the " Wine Route" at the foot of Marckrain (Grand Cru of our commune). The business operation includes 12 hectares of planted vineyards with seven types of alsacian vines.
The settlement of the village can be traced back to the middle ages. It successively belonged to the lords of Horbourg, the counts of Wurtemberg, the bishop of Strasbourg and to the lords of Ribeaupierre until the revolution.
Michel Fonné, is a certified œnologist from Dijon. After having obtained the technical expertise in Champenoise winemaking in Damery, and after having made wine from the 1987 harvest in the Alexander valley in California (Hafner Vineyard), Michel took over the family business of his uncle, René Barth.