Madera wineries earning recognation for Valley flavor

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Your taste buds are in for a treat this weekend as you can sip your way through Madera County for the spring wine trail adventure.

On the heels of the wine adventure, stops like Ficklin Vineyards remind us what the Central Valley has to offer.

Founded in 1946, the family-run Ficklin Vineyards is rich in flavor and history.

"The focus of the winery was to produce authentic traditional and premium quality ports from traditional Portuguese grape varieties," Peter Ficklin with the winery explained.

Ficklin says age is key in the development of a ports flavor.

"One of the challenges we face is to have inventory for wines we're going to be releasing in 10, 15, or 20 years," he said.

The bottles that line the winery hold a taste that's 70 years in the making. Most of the barrels you see in the adobe cellars hold wine from the first crush back in 1948."

With harvest approaching in late August, Ficklin says every season is unique while acknowledging different wine regions have their own obstacles to overcome in terms of environment, weather and pests.

He says the diversity of where they source is beneficial.

"Irrigation and amount of water available to grapes will effect the flavors of the grapes," Ficklin said. "For what we're doing, a little less water increases the concentration of flavors in those wines."

But that could mean long term stress on the vines.

Though Madera may not yet be known for its wine, vineyards like Ficklin are bringing international recognition to the region.

Your taste buds are in for a treat this weekend as you can sip your way through Madera County for the spring wine trail adventure.

On the heels of the wine adventure, stops like Ficklin Vineyards remind us what the Central Valley has to offer.

Founded in 1946, the family-run Ficklin Vineyards is rich in flavor and history.

"The focus of the winery was to produce authentic traditional and premium quality ports from traditional Portuguese grape varieties," Peter Ficklin with the winery explained.

Ficklin says age is key in the development of a ports flavor.

"One of the challenges we face is to have inventory for wines we're going to be releasing in 10, 15, or 20 years," he said.

The bottles that line the winery hold a taste that's 70 years in the making. Most of the barrels you see in the adobe cellars hold wine from the first crush back in 1948."

With harvest approaching in late August, Ficklin says every season is unique while acknowledging different wine regions have their own obstacles to overcome in terms of the environment, weather and pests.

He says the diversity of where they source is beneficial.

"Irrigation and amount of water available to grapes will affect the flavors of the grapes," Ficklin said. "For what we're doing, a little less water increases the concentration of flavors in those wines."

But that could mean long-term stress on the vines.

Though Madera may not yet be known for its wine, vineyards like Ficklin are bringing international recognition to the region.

"I think in the whole Central Valley, there's a lot of premium wine producers that are starting to come in those areas and were seeing growth with some of the newer wineries here in Madera," Ficklin said.

"I think in the whole Central Valley, there's a lot of premium wine producers that are starting to come in those areas and were seeing growth with some of the newer wineries here in Madera," Ficklin said.