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Wine And Truffles Go Together Like...
Stasi Seay, Hope Family Wines' director of vineyards, stands beside a newly acquired estate for growing grapes and truffles in Paso Robles, California. Hope Family Wines
An increasing number of California wineries are diversing their vineyards and growing truffles.
Hope Family Wines of Paso Robles announced Aug. 7 that it purchased an estate for its sauvignon grapes and organic truffles. The Donum Estate announced two years ago a partnership with the American Truffle Company to cultivate Perigord black truffles in Sonoma, and, in 2022, the truffle company teamed with the Boisset Collection wine company to cultivate Perigord black truffles at Raymond Vineyards in Napa Valley.
Trainer Alana McGee works with her dog Lolo to search for truffles at the Robert Sinskey Vineyards Truffle Orchard in Napa, California. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) Associated Press
'The truffle orchard is a happy inheritance that takes me back to my childhood, when my parents were farming more than grapes,' says Austin Hope, the owner and winemaker of Hope Family Wines.
Hope, the son of winegrowers Chuck and Marlyn Hope, grew up in Paso Robles, and Hope Family Wines now has six brands: Austin Hope, Treana, Quest, Austin, Liberty School and Troublemaker. In 2022, Hope Family Wines was named 'American Winery of the Year' by Wine Enthusiast magazine in its yearly Wine Star Awards.
'While wine grapes predominate in Paso Robles, there's a rich history of agriculture here that includes almonds, olives, apples and grains,' Hope says. 'Truffles are part of a new wave of artisanal agriculture that is gaining ground in Paso Robles, and we are excited to be a part of it.'
Truffles, which can command prices exceeding $1,000 per pound, are difficult to grow. Truffle spores grow underground among the roots of certain trees and, years later, require trained dogs to locate the truffles by scent.
About 15 years ago, according to the New York Times, Rob Sinskey Vineyards began planting truffles in the Carneros region, which stretches across southern Napa and Sonoma. The company has since moved to another Napa Valley location.
In 2011, Jackson Family Wines, which is based in Santa Rosa, California and has wineries in various countries, planted in California hazelnut and oak trees innoculated with truffle fungus. Six years later, according to Wine Enthusiast , the first truffles were harvested. Thrity pounds of truffles were harvested in 2019 and 65 pounds in 2020.
Organic truffles at Hope Family Wines' newly acquired vineyard, Tufera Farms, are grown with 'specially cultivated' holly oak trees. The winery plans to use its culinary arm, Hope Provisions, to package the truffles.
Formerly known as Creston Valley Vineyard, Tufera Farms' vineyard sits on rolling terrain at an altitude of 1,200 feet and encompasses 250 acres. It has been a longtime source for Austin Hope's cabernet sauvignon. Grapes were first planted there in 2000, and Hope Family Wines began buying grapes from the site seven years later. The company's other vineyard is in Paso Robles' Templeton Gap district.
'The cabernet sauvignon from the Tufera Frams vineyard consistently ranks among the best lots we produce year after year,' Hope says. 'It is a key component of Austin Hope cabernet sauvignon, and, when the vineyard became available, we jumped at the opportunity to acquire it.'
The previous owner planted 10 acres of holly oaks for truffle growing, and the orchard is now rounding into form, Hope says. The truffles are harvested annually, beginning near year-end and into February, with the help of specially trained dogs.
Hope Family Wines is one of more than 200 wineries in the Paso Robles grape-growing region, according to Paso Robles Wine Country. The region sits on California's Central Coast, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
