Ports for the ages
Winemaker continues time-honored tradition
Story by Christine Souza • Photos by Tomas Ovalle
North of the San Joaquin River in rural Madera County stands America’s oldest port winery and vineyard, Ficklin Vineyards. Fol lowing a tradition established by his grandfather in 1946, winemaker Peter Ficklin handcrafts premium ports—sweet, fortified wines—fromwinegrape varieties native to Portugal. The third-generation winemaker said the climate and growing conditions in Madera are ideal for making “vinho do porto.” “My grandfather traveled the world and then worked with the University of California in the ’30s and ’40s, discerning what grapes grew well in what areas of California,” Ficklin said. “Lo and behold, this part of Madera County is excellent for the varieties of the Douro River region of Portugal for making ports.” In those early days, Ficklin said, no one in California produced premium ports, but rather inexpensive imitations. His father wanted to learn more, and attended UC Davis to study enology. “He came back and built a winery, and we had our first crush of grapes in 1948,” said the younger Ficklin, now owner and president of Ficklin Vineyards. “It was my father’s intent to produce a premium port using traditional port grape varieties and time-honored methods of production and aging.”
Peter Ficklin, third-generation owner of Ficklin Vineyards in Madera County, specializes in crafting premium ports—sweet, fortified wines— from winegrape varieties native to Portugal. His father made adobe bricks by hand to build the winery’s wine cellar, above center.
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