Temecula Valley Wine Country winery goes back to California's wine-making roots with Mission grapes

 
Frank Bellino / The Press-Enterprise
Winery assistant Joseph Zito and Briar Rose Winery co-owner Dorian Linkogle package bottles of Mission wine during bottling at the winery.
Mission grapes were the first to be planted for winemaking purposes in California. Spanish missionaries started planting them in the late 1700s to make wine for religious services.

"We are bringing to life a piece of history that gives birth to this wonderful wine industry in California," said Briar Rose co-owner Dorian Linkogle.

Established in June 2006, Briar Rose is open by reservation only and features a Snow White-like cottage constructed by the property's previous owner, an artisan who helped build Disneyland. Several Briar Rose wines sell for $100 or more.

Linkogle's husband, Les, said Mission grapes were popular with missionaries because they were hearty and mildew-resistant.

Unfortunately, wine made from Mission grapes tends to go bad quickly, and it's not the most flavorful grape variety, Les Linkogle said.

As a result, the grapes fell out of use as time went on and demand for tastier wines increased.

There were only 640 acres of Mission grapes statewide in 2007, according to the San Francisco-based Wine Institute. By comparison, grapes used for chardonnay totaled 94,282 acres last year, according to institute figures.

The institute counts 61 Mission grape acres in San Bernardino County, where Joseph Filippi Winery & Vineyards of Rancho Cucamonga sells dessert wines made with Mission grapes. Representatives of the winery could not be reached for comment.

The Linkogles became interested in the grapes a few months ago. Dorian Linkogle read about the grapes while researching the wine industry.  

Winery assistant Joseph Zito and Briar Rose Winery co-owner Dorian Linkogle package bottles of Mission wine during bottling at the winery.

He contacted Briar Rose's vineyard manager, Cheo Serrano, who had just happened to find a Mission grape vineyard on the Pechanga reservation.

The grapes have been in Ernie Tavizon's family since the early 1900s. They were planted on land owned by his great-great-grandmother.

Tavizon said the grapes were given to the tribe to eat or sell. He said the family would tend to the vineyard and share the grapes with others.

"I think it's excellent," he said of Briar Rose's plans. "It's amazing that they're doing this."

Les Linkogle said the grapes are all the more special because they haven't been mutated by other grape varieties.

Briar Rose harvested the 2 acres of grapes in September. Les Linkogle said he made the wine using old-fashioned methods with the exception of using a special yeast to create flavors and specific acids to stabilize the wine.

He was able to get six barrels of wine, although two were lost to experimentation.

He hopes to produce around 900 bottles; he's not sure how much they'll sell for, he said.

But Mission wine sales are beside the point for the Linkogles.

"We're bringing a part of our history back," Dorian Linkogle said.

"This is where wine came from in all of California, and it can't be forgotten."