The passion.

Woodworth wines are De Luz’ only homegrown estate wines. You can book a private tasting and lunch at the Woodworth’s home. It is an intimate and unique experience overlooking the Temecula wine country. Their enthusiasm for each step of the winemaking process is discernible. Tim Kramer is their winemaker. He makes more wine in Southern California than any other winemaker. He is the primary winemaker for Leoness. 

Things I learned at this winery:

Riddling racks are an old fashioned way of processing high end sparkling wine. Bottles are inclined at a 45 degree angle on a riddling rack. Over several weeks, a riddler rotates every bottle a few degrees and slowly lowers the angle from 45 to 60 degrees.

A field blend is created each year from the same grapes. The grapes are planted together, harvested at the same time and fermented together. True field blend wines are scarce because there is little control over the outcome. 

Rootstocks are all the same. The grapes are changed by grafting a cutting or bud onto the rootstock by planting the bud into the stock with sawdust.