Collins College of Hospitality Management - Horsehill Vineyards Wine

Horsehill Vineyards Wine

The Collins College and the Cal Poly Pomona College of Agriculture partner to produce Horsehill Vineyards wine. The inaugural vintage of Horsehill Vineyards Zinfandel Rosé won the Gold Medal, Best of Class in the Best Rosé Limited Production category at the 70th annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. The 2008 Horsehill Vineyards Zinfandel received a bronze medal. Horsehill Vineyards 2009 Rosé also won a gold medal at the 71st annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Horsehill Vineyards wine is made from grapes grown on the Cal Poly Pomona campus and is one of only a few wines made from grapes grown in Los Angeles County, California. The colleges partnered with master winemaker Jon McPherson at South Coast Winery in Temecula, California, to produce and bottle the rosé for the university. Roughly two-thirds of the 2008 harvest yielded 328 cases of Horsehill Vineyards Zinfandel Rosé, which have been sold exclusively at the Collins College's Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.

Third-generation winemaker Don Galleano used the other third from the 2008 harvest to make a Zinfandel, which aged for about six months in oak barrels at Galleano Winery in Mira Loma, California. The Zinfandel won a bronze in the category Limited Production Zinfandel from 2007 or Later at the 70th annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition.

The Zinfandel vines stem from the historic De Ambrogio Ranch, which was razed in 2001 for development in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Geyser Peak Winery made a Zinfandel from the De Ambrogio Vineyard, which was located across the street from what would become the Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center on the corner of Foothill Boulevard (old Route 66) and Haven Avenue. Galleano combed the ranch for the best vines before it was demolished for development. He donated 400 grapevine cuttings to the university.

Proceeds from the wine sales support a culinary garden at Cal Poly Pomona and the ongoing production of Horsehill Vineyards wine. Produce from the garden is incorporated into the menu at the Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.

Rossana

Cal Poly Pomona’s latest boutique wine, Horsehill Vineyards Rossana Sparkling Wine, is available while supplies last at the Farm Store at Kellogg Ranch and the Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch for $20 a bottle.

Rossana, named in homage to W.K. Kellogg’s stunning foundation Arabian mare, is a classically styled Brut Rosé. Zinfandel from Cal Poly Pomona’s Horsehill Vineyards is lightly pressed to capture a nuance of color, all the while Rossana extracting the delicate cherry and strawberry fruit characters. The wine’s bright mauve hue is accentuated with tiny bubbles, a crisp finish, and balanced with just a hint of sweetness. Master winemaker Jon McPherson of South Coast Winery made the wine on behalf of the university.

About the name and history:

Rossana, the mare, was one of the first horses Kellogg brought to the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch, which eventually became Cal Poly Pomona. She had a rose grey coat and nearly faultless conformation. Rossana’s beauty and excellent temperament made her popular with celebrity visitors to the Ranch. She was also one of Kellogg’s favorite mounts, known for her steadiness and dependability, and in his later years he rode her exclusively.

The Zinfandel grapes themselves are a living link to the viticultural heritage of the region. The grapes, which grow on campus, have been cultivated from cuttings from the historic De Ambrogio Ranch Historic photo of the De Ambrogio Ranch in Rancho Cucamonga. Before the ranch was razed for development in 2001, third-generation vintner Don Galleano combed the fields and selected 400 grapevine cuttings, some of them nearly 100 years old, and donated them to the university.