New, improved, glorious Gloria Ferrer
In January, Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards announced that they would close their tasting room, for five months, for renovations. They opened a temporary tasting room in a drafty tent and staff and visitor’s alike (including me!) patiently awaited the re-opening.
The Catalan architecture inspired space overlooks estate vineyards and has one of the finest views of the Carneros, making it one of the most popular tasting rooms in Sonoma Valley.
While the views are glorious, the tasting room was in desperate need of renovations. The space was getting cramped, with little room to breath for staff and visitors alike on busy days. Members only spaces were getting equally as cramped, as membership for one of the country’s premier sparkling wine houses grew.
The tasting room inside had seen its share of bumps and bruises, and the bar lacked modern technology and equipment for employees to be able to serve customers efficiently.
But let’s not dwell on the past, shall we? The future is now and Gloria Ferrer’s new tasting room is , well, glorious. It has received an overhaul architecturally, interior design wise, and menu wise.
The new “visitor’s center,” aka the tasting room, has 30% more space than the previous. No matter where you chose to enjoy your bubbly – at the bar or at a table inside or outside, you’ll have panoramic views of the Valley.
The outdoor seating area has been doubled in size. A remarkable, large pergola provides shade on sunny days and protection on rainy days. They now offer heaters, when the weather gets chilly, for year round outdoor sipping.
Member’s have more space than ever, with the choice of two outdoor lounge areas. Member’s also receive new perks, depending on their membership level, such as two complimentary food and wine pairings annually in the new private tasting room with panoramic windows. There is still a dog friendly member’s space, too!
And yes, you read that right: food and wine pairings.
One of the highlights of the renovations is that the tasting room is now devoid of self-serve refrigerators, where guests would grab their own cheese and crackers for a snack with their wine.
The winery now offers formal food and wine pairings and casual snacks, which you can order from your table. Options include local and Spanish cheeses, charcuterie, and don’t fret, they haven’t gotten rid of those addictive spiced almonds.
Tours are still being offered of the facilities, which includes a glimpse into Gloria Ferrer’s (the woman, not the wine) obsession: glassware. Mrs. Ferrer has one of the world’s largest collections of champagne glasses and a portion of them are on display at the winery. The oldest glasses in her collection date back to 4th to 3rd century BC Persia.
At the grand reopening Sonoma glassmaker Alex Leader, of Leaderglass, was in attendance. It was announced that he is going to be working with Mrs. Ferrer to design a limited edition, sparkling wine glass to be sold at the winery.
Leader’s work is nationally recognized as being unique and expertly crafted. If you saw Toyota/Save Mart 350 winner Kyle Busch chug Highway 12 Cabernet out of a giant wine goblet a few weeks back here in Sonoma, he was drinking out of one of Leader’s creations. It’s bound to be a beauty, with release later this year.
Gloria Ferrer now has a modern, contemporary, bright tasting room to complement their sparkling wine. After an afternoon at the new space, you’ll be ready for a siesta. Reservations recommended. 23555 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. 933-1917. gloriaferrer.com
