Vineyard Management
Generations of expertise combined with a passion for excellence
Located in the heart of Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country, Wilson Creek is blessed with the opportunity of being one of the pioneers in the valley. Our management style is derived from generations of experience combined with a passion for excellence. As a family owned winery, we pride ourselves on land conservation, fruit quality and forming lasting relationships with our partners.
Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards offers a complete range of viticultural services from design and installation to harvest. Our goal is to make world-class terroir driven Temecula Valley wines in the vineyard. Our biologically based regenerative agricultural approach to viticulture create long-term resilience to climate extremes, disease pressure and most importantly, wines that enhance lives from the soil microbiome, to our wine drinking guests to the community at large. We are driven by quality and seek out grower partners who are also passionate about the magic of great wines and the life-enhancing potential of biologically based regenerative agriculture. We are flexible in how we partner with our growers; however, we are steadfast in our environmental and winemaking goals. HOW WE WORK WITH OUR GROWER PARTNERS New vineyard site assessment, planning, installation, maintenance and long-term purchase contracts Existing vineyard assessment, improvements, maintenance and long-term purchase contracts Existing vineyard assessment, regenerative agricultural consultation with the vineyard owner or manager with a purchase contract Consultation for regenerative agricultural WINEMAKING CONSULTING Evaluate and advise grape and wine standards Recommendations on wine processing
Wilson Creek is a leader in Regenerative farming practices. Regenerative goes beyond sustainability where the goals are increased biological density and diversity leading to overall increased biome ecosystem functions. Our practices include no herbicides, no synthetic fertilizers unless chelated in a bioreactor, composting, extensive use of multi-species cover crops, and integrated pest management with a 90% reduction of insecticides. We perform plant sap analysis and biological soil analysis for the application of biologically based fertilizers leading to increased soil carbon and balanced bacterial-to-fungi ratios. These practices with improved water distribution and monitoring have reduced our water use by 40% with an increase in yield of an average of 28% leading to a net efficiency of 53% gallon-to-ton use. We also conduct and collaborate on regenerative research and teach.
GREG PENNYROYAL
Greg brings 30 years of diverse botanical and genetics research experience to Wilson Creek. His prior work in botanical medicine and agricultural production are uniquely utilized in modern vineyard management. Greg’s goal as Vineyard Manager and Professor of Viticulture at Mt. San Jacinto College is the continuous improvement of the Temecula Appellation as a recognized world-class wine producing region.
KESTUTIS “GUS” VIZGIRDA
As lead Winemaker, “Gus” brings 28 years of winemaking experience to the team. He settled in Temecula where an emerging wine culture was forming 31 years ago. He has worked alongside several of the Valley’s best winemakers. In addition to serving as the lead winemaker, Gus teaches wine classes at Mt. San Jacinto College and San Diego State University. Gus believes that the secret of good winemaking begins in the vineyards. That is why throughout the growing season you will find him touring the rows of varietals and envisioning the kinds of wines he will produce from the harvest.
KRISTINA FILIPPI
Kristina Filippi Is a lifelong resident of Southern California. She spent much of her childhood in Rancho Cucamonga when the area had luscious wine producing vineyards. She attended Cal Poly Pomona and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science. Soon after graduating, she began working in a wine tasting room and quickly discovered her passion for the wine industry. Simultaneous with her work for the tasting room, Kristina attended the culinary arts programs at Le Cordon Bleu. These two avenues quickly lead her to a passion in food and wine pairings, as well as the wine making process. She began to turn this passion into a career when she was given the opportunity to learn the wine making process from the ground up. She served as a wine maker at the Joseph Filippi Winery for 10 years. During those years, she specialized in producing dry reds, rosés, ports, and sherry wines. After completing her 10 years in the Cucamonga Valley, Kristina relocated to the Temecula Valley to gain more knowledge in viticulture. We are extremely excited to have her as a part of our team and we know she will create some amazing wines for our winery.
VINEYARD CREW
Wilson Creek has a passionate pool of employees – technically astute, well-trained, and service-oriented – that play a critical role during both the seasonal growing cycle and the pressures of harvest. Employees have a vast level of experience, vineyard competence and are experts in vineyard care.
Wilson Creek is known as an industry leader in sustainable farm management practices.
We favor the long-term relationships of building a vineyard’s world-class wine producing capacity. If this is in alignment with your vision for your property please, join us for a glass of wine and let’s discuss if we can be part of the truly unique world of winemaking together.
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