Short answer: grapes are picked in late summer and fall, but the good fruit is usually spoken for long before then. If you want a specific variety in the amount you need, summer is when you reserve it — not the week you plan to crush. Here’s how the timing really works, and how to hold yours. (more…)
Yes. You can chill red wine. And on a hot evening, you probably should.
If someone ever told you red wine has to be served at “room temperature,” they were repeating a rule that’s about a hundred years out of date — back when “the room” meant a cool stone cellar, not your kitchen in July. A warm red on a 90-degree day tastes flat and a little boozy. The same bottle, pulled out of the fridge twenty minutes earlier, tastes bright, juicy, and alive.
If you’ve been curious about Contra Costa wine and haven’t made it out to the vineyard yet, here’s your chance to taste it without the drive. On May 29, 2026, Corteza Vineyards will be pouring at the Pittsburg Pirates Football Wine Tasting Fundraising Event at the Pittsburg Yacht Club in Pittsburg, California. It’s a fun night, it’s for a good cause, and the wine is from right here in the county.
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Our 2023 Grenache Noir won Double Gold at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition — one of the most respected wine competitions in the country. The fruit that made that wine grows on our family’s old vines in Knightsen, in Contra Costa County, near Brentwood and Oakley. We’re taking reservations now for the 2026 harvest. If you’re looking to buy wine grapes with a proven track record, here’s everything you need to know — and how to reserve yours.
For the 2026 harvest we expect about 15 tons of Grenache Noir from our Knightsen vineyard. We also have Grenache Blanc (~10 tons) and Carignane (~5 tons) available.
Quantities are limited. Once fruit is reserved, it’s gone. For current Brix, pH, and pricing, email us at cortezavineyards@gmail.com — we don’t post specs that could be outdated by harvest.
A Double Gold at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition isn’t just a higher-tier Gold. It’s awarded only when every single judge on the panel votes gold — a unanimous decision, with no exceptions. Out of thousands of wines entered from across the country, ours was one the entire judging panel agreed on.
For a winemaker buying fruit, that matters more than it might seem. When you buy grapes for winemaking, you’re making a bet on how the wine will turn out. A grower can tell you the fruit is good. A Double Gold is the same claim — verified by a room full of experienced, independent judges who had no reason to be generous.
Our 2023 Grenache Noir was made from this exact fruit — grown on our Knightsen vines, picked by hand, and made into a wine that judges unanimously agreed was excellent. That’s a real signal about what this fruit can do in careful hands.
Our vineyard sits in Knightsen, in eastern Contra Costa County — close to Brentwood and Oakley, and an easy drive from Livermore and the rest of the East Bay. If you’re searching for wine grapes for sale near Brentwood, Oakley, or anywhere in the East Bay, we’re your direct source, with no broker in between.
The ground here is deep, ancient sandy soil from the Sacramento River delta — the same soil that kept Contra Costa’s vines alive through the phylloxera epidemic when most California vineyards were destroyed. The vines dig deep, produce smaller berries, and give us concentrated, structured fruit.
Hot days, cool delta breeze every afternoon, cool nights. The fruit ripens fully and keeps its acidity. We farm naturally and dry-farm the vines — no irrigation. Everything is picked by hand.
Grenache Noir is a generous red — bright red fruit, a little pepper and spice, with relatively soft tannins and good natural acidity. It makes a beautiful wine on its own and it blends easily with other varieties, which makes it one of the more forgiving grapes to work with whether you’re filling commercial tanks or a few carboys at home.
The low tannin and bright fruit also make it one of the better options for home winemakers who want a red that’s drinkable sooner rather than later.
We sell to both commercial winemakers and home winemakers. Whether you need bulk grapes for a full production run or just enough for a small home batch, the process is the same:
No middleman. Fruit straight from the family that grew it.
If you’re in the Bay Area and want to taste what this Contra Costa fruit can do in a glass, you don’t have to wait for harvest. The award-winning 2023 Grenache Noir is in our online shop right now.
It’s a family wine — grown on these same vines, picked by the five of us, made from fruit that won Double Gold. Easy at the table with almost any red-friendly meal. Bring it to dinner and taste what the judges agreed on.
Where can I buy Grenache Noir grapes for winemaking near me? Our vineyard is in Knightsen, Contra Costa County — close to Brentwood, Oakley, and Antioch, and an easy drive from Livermore and the East Bay. Email cortezavineyards@gmail.com to reserve.
How do I buy wine grapes online from Corteza? Email cortezavineyards@gmail.com with your variety and amount. We’ll send current specs and confirm your reservation. Start here: wineries & cellars or home winemakers.
How much Grenache Noir do you have available? We expect about 15 tons for the 2026 harvest. Quantities are limited — reserve early.
Do you sell small amounts for home winemaking? Yes. Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll let you know what we can do.
Is the award for the grapes or the finished wine? The Double Gold is for our 2023 Grenache Noir bottle. We’re selling the same Grenache Noir fruit for the 2026 harvest — the wine is the proof of what the grapes can produce.
How do I get current Brix, pH, and pricing? Email cortezavineyards@gmail.com and we’ll send the latest numbers. We don’t post specs that could be out of date by harvest.
Where can I buy the bottle? The 2023 Grenache Noir is available in our online shop: Grenache Noir 2023
Reserve 2026 Grenache Noir: wineries & cellars · home winemakers · cortezavineyards@gmail.com
Or taste the Double Gold: [shop the 2023 Grenache Noir] – Grenache Noir 2023
I’m thrilled to share some exciting news from our winery: our 2023 Grenache just earned a Double Gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. As the winemaker and owner at Corteza, this honor means the world to me, and I want to explain exactly what it signifies and why we’re so proud.
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