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Home Photo Galleries Equipment Galleries The Companeros • Santa barbara, CA

Companeros means “friends” in Spanish, so it’s an apt name for the amateur winery run by Antonio Gardella and his pals in Santa Barbara. Together the four compatriots — Gardella, Art Morel, Sid Ackert and Luis Goena — have won numerous awards and assembled an impressive array of equipment. “Everyone plays a role, from securing great grapes in the vineyard to getting them in the bottle,” says Gardella. Every year, they buy ripe fruit — in one-ton lots — from nearby California vineyards such as Buttonwood Farm and Thompson.

Cabs and Merlot go into American oak barrels, while French oak casks hold the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Old barrels that no longer impart flavor are for Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.

3 barrels-1
<p><strong><font size="3">Barbara Bentley </font><font size="3"><strong>· </strong>Walnut Creek, CA</font></strong></p> <p>Barbara is the “official taster and labelmaker” for her husband Rex Johnston’s wines. Now, both the label and the wine have become winners, as Elephant Heart Plum also won “Best of Dessert” at the 2004 California State Fair.</p> <p>Prizes: Yakima Valley Viognier 16L wine kit from Cellar Craft International; Gift certificate from Wine, Barley &amp; Hops Homebrew Supply; Mosto Italiano Amarone 23L wine kit from Advintage Distribution </p>

Gold: Barbara Bently
This 50-gallon Italian grape press has been used every year for the last decade for both red and white wines. It’s a simple screw press that ratchets down to squeeze the juice from the grapes.

barrel press-1
The Companeros boys used to crush their grapes on wooden pallets. But the wood was hard to clean and grapes would fall through the slats. The solution? A concrete surface that’s easy to wash, safe to work on and perfect for rolling barrels.

crush pad-1
The Campaneros use a Zambelli crusher-destemmer from Italy. One guy throws in the grapes, another watches the stems, the third controls the juice flow and the fourth runs five-gallon buckets of fresh juice to the stainless-steel fermenters.

crusher destemmer-1


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