Ponderosa Valley Vineyards & Winery
Ponderosa, Sandoval County, New Mexico. Vineyard and winery.
Details
- Where
- 3171 Hwy 290, Ponderosa, NM 87044. Directions
- When
- Tues - Sat 10 am - 5 pm; Sunday 12 (noon) - 5 pm; closed Christmas, New Years, Easter, & Federal Holidays.
- Getting there
- From the Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway, a side trip 3 miles to the east on NM 290 brings you to Ponderosa; the winery is on SR 290.
- Fees
- Free wine tasting (please limit tastings to five per person).
- Access
- Please watch your car speed thru the Jemez communities.
- Phone
- 575-834-7487
- Website
- ponderosawinery.com
- Managed by
- Henry and Mary Street.
- Established
- Bonded by the state of New Mexico in April of 1993.
The largest Riesling vineyard in New Mexico, nestled in the scenic Ponderosa Valley on the southern slopes of the beautiful Jemez Mountains, a short drive from Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos.
Notable Events
- 1760The village of Ponderosa dates from a 1760 land grant deeded to Spanish soldiers as an incentive to relocate into this area to protect the local Jemez Indians from marauding Navajos and Utes. ponderosawinery.com
- 1768Ponderosa was established in 1768 when the Ojo de San Jose Land Grant was given to Paulin Montoya and five other families. jemezvalleyhistory.org
- 1880sVillagers who worked seasonally at the large vineyards of Corrales and Bernalillo planted the first grape vines in the Ponderosa Valley; wine and brandy production followed until the 1920's. ponderosawinery.com
- 1976Henry and Mary Street purchased three acres in the valley as a camping retreat. ponderosawinery.com
- 1978On the advice of California winemaker Jim Concannon, the Streets planted Riesling cuttings from his Livermore Valley vineyard in the Ponderosa Vineyard. ponderosawinery.com
- 1982The first commercial crop was harvested and purchased by La Chiripada Winery, which produced award winning Riesling wines from it. ponderosawinery.com
- 1989In 1989 the Streets began to build their winery, "con pasitos.". tucson.com
- 1993The winery was bonded by the state of New Mexico. ponderosawinery.com
- 1996Since 1996 every wine released must receive at least a bronze medal in a formal wine competition or it is not released. ponderosawinery.com
People
- Paulin Montoya, grantee of the Ojo de San Jose Land Grant on which Ponderosa was established (1768).
- Henry Street, Founder; grape grower who attended winemaking classes at UC-Davis (1976).
- Jim Concannon, California wine maker who advised planting Rieslings and supplied cuttings (1978).
- Mary Street, Wife of Henry K. Street; stuck with the vineyard.
- Henry K. Street, Grows Riesling grapes and makes wine in the winery he and his wife built; studied viticulture and fermentation science through UC Davis.