Estate Bottled vs. Estate Grown

You might notice the words Estate Bottled on the front label of our Chambourcin wines. That simple phrase is actually a pretty big deal.

What Does “Estate Bottled” Mean?

Estate Bottled is a legal term defined by the Code of Federal Regulations. The term may be used by a winery on their label only if the winery grew all the grapes used to make the wine on land owned or controlled by the winery, crushed the grapes, fermented the resulting must, finished, aged, and bottled the wine in a continuous process.

In other words, that bottle of Chambourcin wine you will find at Poca Terra Winery has never left our farm. We grew those grapes on our own vines in a vineyard within view of our home. When the grapes were of the perfect ripeness, our friends and family gathered early on a September morning to hand-harvest the grapes. The grapes were transferred from the vineyard to the crush-pad within minutes of being picked and were immediately crushed to fill the fermentation vats that were quickly rolled into the winery. Over the next few months to several years, depending on the style of wine we are making, the wine was finished and aged right here on our property.  When finally ready, we bottled, corked, and labeled each individual bottle – again, by hand.  This entire process occurred within mere yards from where those grapes were grown.

What Does “Estate Grown” Mean?

Some wineries may, in contrast, place the words Estate Grown on their label. Don’t let that phrase impress you. The term Estate Grown is not found in the Code of Federal Regulations and does not carry any legal conditions of use or status of production. It is an ambiguous term.  All grapes can be considered Estate Grown regardless of where they are grown or who grows them.