The Wandering Sommelier

Deaver Ranch Mission, planted in 1856. Standing next to a gargantuan, own-rooted Mission vine in Amador County’s Deaver Ranch, winemaker Marco Cappelli marvels, “It’s a miracle that this vineyard survives – Deaver family records show that these vines were planted in 1856!”   Tracey Berkner is the sommelier/co-owner of Restaurant Taste in Plymouth, barely two miles from Deaver’s Mission planting. Says Berkner, “I had been told that most of California’s Mission vines were pulled out long ago – I was surprised to learn of their existence, and that I had been driving by them regularly for years. The old vines are amazing – each one twisted and curled, like stunning natural sculptures.”   Mission is a  Vitis vinifera  also known as Criolla, which translates as “born in the New World of European origin.” Spanish conquistadors planted it in Peru as early as the 1520s. By 1629 the grape was established as the exclusive wine grape of Mexico as well as pres...