CRUSH Vineyards
Get the Dirt from owner Denise Schramm
“Everything is possible, we have no limitations, we can grow what we want, farm as we want, blend as we want. We love being able to try new things. ”
What was your first vintage year? 2017 INCEPTION was a blend we made to celebrate the wedding of our daughter, Phoebe Schramm to Henry Miller. 2018 TEMPTATION and 2018 TANTALIZE was the first vintage we produced and released on our website in August 2021.
How many cases do you make per vintage? We produced 80 cases of our 2018 vintage and 465 cases of 2020. We plan to stay between 400-600 cases per vintage.
Do you have a Tasting Room? No Tasting room yet, but we are working on it.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery? Caymus.
What varietals do you work with? Which varietal/wine is your favorite to make?
We grow and produce wines made from our Estate grown Tannat and Tempranillo. We also recently planted some Petite Sirah. We like big red wines.
What vineyards do you source from?
We are primarily estate grown and purchase some fruit for blending from Briarwood and Heaton Ranch.
What type of oak treatment do you use?
We use about 50% -75% New Oak on all our wines, primarily French. Tannat is a big and tannic varietal, and we love the way the vanilla and spices in French oak balance out the tannins.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
The terrior (soil/weather), the diversity of varietals, sense of community, “no rules” mentality…
What’s the story behind your winery name / label?
Our daughters, Phoebe and Emma, were embarking on new career paths, and it was fun to see them succeeding in life. “Keep Crushing It” was something that we found ourselves saying to them frequently and it struck us as a good name for our Vineyard and Wine business. Hence CRUSH Vineyard became the name of our brand (It helped that crush is also one of the first steps in making wine, it just felt right).
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
We are farmers/producers so from that perspective: “Every year is different, and you are at the mercy of Mother Nature.” We have a whole newfound respect for nature.
Most importantly, what's so great about being small? What can you do as a small winemaker, that wouldn't be possible for larger wineries?
Everything is possible, we have no limitations, we can grow what we want, farm as we want, blend as we want. We love being able to try new things.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers?
There is so much potential for small-lot winemakers. People are always looking to discover something new and relatively unknown. That is why we enjoy participating in Wine Festivals, it is enlightening for us to see people enjoying our wines for the first time.
If you could choose another wine region to work in what would it be?
We feel so fortunate to have settled in Paso. Such amazing terroir, a welcoming community, and breathtaking landscape. We haven’t been here long enough to think about other regions. We are just settling in to the place we chose.
For more information about Arianna Wines, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.