Winery of the Month
July 2022
Taber Ranch Vineyard & Event Center | Capay Valley, CA
If you were lucky enough to join us for our annual Twilight Picnic a few weeks back, then you were able to enjoy scenic views and the lively atmosphere of the Taber Ranch barn. Nowadays, the venue hosts over 40 weddings and events throughout the year, but their storied history dates back far beyond the altar.
The Capay Valley ranch was settled in 1867 by the Taber family and began as an almond orchard and livestock barn. It wasn’t until a few generations later in the early 1990’s that the property began its transformation into the event center that we know today. Since its opening in 2019, guests are greeted by the country-chic tasting room as they enter the property, but this latest structure would not have been possible without the already existing wedding venue and event space. “The old livestock barn started its second life, surrounded by blocks of new vines, some simple landscaping, and some really beautiful views of the valley,” states Natalie Klempau, owner at Taber Ranch, “over the years with a lot of love and hard work, it has transformed into the diverse setting that everyone enjoys today.”
Guests now enjoy a glass of Taber Ranch wine or local beer in the tasting room accompanied by a pizza from the brick oven and some live music on the weekends. The winery produces a wide variety of wines for all wine lovers, but their specialty is a crisp Sauvignon Blanc that pairs perfectly with a hot Capay Valley afternoon.
“The thing I strive for, and enjoy the most about our place, is that it does really feel like family. That is the vibe we work for.”
Q&A WITH TABER RANCH
Q: How long have you been making wine in Yolo County?
A: Taber Ranch has been making wine since 2005. We have always custom crushed, and eventually we successfully partnered with Turkovich Family Wines where we custom crush now.
Q: How many acres of vineyards do you farm? Do you farm any other crops?
A: We have approximately 12 acres of grapes and our varietals include: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel which we have not harvested yet as they are still young vines. Other crops that we farm include: pomegranates, some stone fruit, figs, citrus and fuyu persimmons. These are all in small quantities and we use them in our kitchen for our jams and pizzas.
Q: What wine varietals do you specialize in?
A: Sauvignon Blanc is the grape we grow the most of. We do have a diverse crop including Spanish, Rhône, Bordeaux and Italian varietals, but you can't beat a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc in the Capay Valley heat. Along with our Taber Ranch Red Blends, our Sauvignon Blanc is one of our best sellers.
Q: What is a unique characteristic that makes your winery stand out?
A: Work started working on the event center in 1999-2000 and our first weddings weren't until 2005. Now, we do around 40 weddings a year from April through the end of October and host public events such as Twilight Picnic, Taste of Capay, and Day in the Country. We broke ground on our tasting room in 2017 and opened in 2019. We have a kitchen and offer catering for private evening events, holiday parties, celebrations and rehearsal dinners. We have a wood fired pizza oven and also serve local beer and cider in our tasting room. We love dogs and will always support live music!
Q: Any other information you would like to share with our audience about your winery.
A: The thing I strive for, and enjoy the most about our place, is that it does really feel like family. It's great that we can see all of our past [wedding] couples with their families and all of our regular customers who are a part of the local communities out here. You end up sharing more than wine and pizza with them and you get to meet new people who never even knew we existed. It is a very nice feeling. That is the vibe we work for.
Follow along with Taber Ranch at taberranch.com or @taberranch