These two words; vineyard and winery, aren’t associated with anything else but your favorite beverage, wine. But do you really know the difference between winery and vineyard? Well, your excitement often stops at the “wine” in both of them but have you ever thought of digging deeper into these two words?
Those who are work in these two areas do know what they stand for and will usually use them interchangeably to your amusement. This is some sort of indication that they mean two different things. So, what is a vineyard? And a winery? Are they related in any way? And what are some of the things they share in common?
We seek to answer these plus other questions in this article. Read along.
What’s winery?
A winery is just a property from where wine is being produced. It is from the winery where winemakers turn grapes into wine. The grapes can be grown either within this property or sourced from elsewhere.
The process of producing wine in a winery is complex and has several steps which include fermentation, juice blending and aging among others. Wineries are available in different types some of which are as below:
- Farm Winery
Here, owners of the winery reside within the same property. The grapes are grown in this farm together with other crops. The good thing about farm winery is that the owners are able to keep an eye on their property and production on a daily basis.
- Vineyard Winery
This is often what comes to most people’s minds at the mention of wine production units. Vineyard wineries are known for their large tracts of lands from where their own grapes are grown. Every process till the final wine is produced happens within this farm.
Wine that is produced in such a setup is usually referred to as Estate Wine. Being that the grapes are grown and the production happen within the same facility, these Estate Wines are more expensive.
- Destination Winery
Destination wineries are the to-go-to destinations for people who want to spend some time out of their normal schedules. Located in the country, these wineries have relaxing setups, attraction features and amazing views that will help you unwind for a weekend or so.
There are lots of others that have even ventured into more like hotel services offering bed and breakfast. What beats enjoying your wine while at the same time having a view of the beautiful nature?
- Venue Winery
Have you come across wineries with dedicated halls for guests? These are what are known as venue wineries. There are some that even offer special outdoor spaces for live concerts and festivals.
Apart from wine production, there are special spaces just from within where you can hold your events as you enjoy the drinks.
- Urban Winery
Wineries found in downtown areas are called urban wineries. In an urban area, there is no way a winery will grow its grapes so instead they outsource them from elsewhere. Where in an urban area will get a considerably land tract of land to grow your grapes?
What’s a Vineyard?
A plantation from where grapes are grown is what’s called a vineyard. A vineyard can also be used to grow raisins, table grapes and other non-alcoholic grapes.
Most wineries have their own vineyards to minimize on costs. Vineyards have been around since about 5000BC. The most common type of vineyard is the vignette.
- Vignette Vineyard
This is a small vineyard which is usually part of another large one elsewhere. They are small portions of less than 500 square meters. These small portions of land are bought by investors to add onto their vineyard collections.
They are co-owned in a co-op like structure. Here, investors get cheap labor and operational costs are usually lower.
- Where to locate your vineyards
As you are already aware, wines usually take the flavor and aroma of the vineyards from where the grapes were grown. The climate and type of soil are the greatest contributors to a wine’s aroma and flavors. These plus other factors are known as terroir in the field of wine production.
Some of the factors that are associated with terroir are terrain, type of rock, soil, humidity, wind and rain among others. All these you have to consider before settling on an ideal place for your vineyard.
Most vineyards are planted on hillsides for maximum exposure to sunlight. Besides, soils in such terrains are poor and the best for wine grapes.
Differences between winery and vineyard
From their definitions as discussed above, a winery is a property from where wine is brewed whereas a vineyard is a piece of land where wine grapes are grown. A winery, on the other hand, can be found within a vineyard.
Grapes are grown in a vineyard and the wine is produced in a winery. This is the main difference between the two terms.
Is there any relation between a winery and a vineyard?
Well, wineries depend on grapes grown on vineyards for the process of wine production to be complete. In as much as a winery can be found within the precincts of a vineyard, the two depend on each other.
At the same time, not all wineries will have vineyards. There are vineyards that grow grapes for sale to different wineries either locally or globally. There is some dependence between these two seasons of the Vineyard
Wrapping Up
Do you still think you can use vineyard and winery interchangeably? You will agree with us that they don’t mean the same thing and should instead be used sparingly. Having known the difference between winery and vineyard, it’s a good thing to help spread the word to avoid the confusion that has been witnessed before.
A wine enthusiast shouldn’t make a mistake of referring to a winery as a vineyard and vice versa. Stand out among your peers as someone who knows almost all if not everything about wines. Don’t you think you will earn lots of respect from your friends? Share your thoughts with us.
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