When John Hawkins arrived in America in 1565, just a year after the settlers, he found them in need of food, yet they were successfully cultivating wine from abundant wild grapes. The early pioneers touted the lavish vine growth as “a symbol of the promise of America as a sort of Eden.” This phrase was interpreted by the settlers as, “wine would be one of the products to bring prosperity to those who settled here.”
Les proudly states that, “All my wines will only be made from American grown grapes.” Briar Rose Winery meticulously strives to produce handcrafted, small lot, premium artisan wines made from the most intensely flavored grapes from their opulent vineyards.
Even outside of America, from Russia to Hong Kong, there are waiting lists of people insisting for wine made from American grown grapes. In fact, stories of America's early accidental hybrid varietals and the success of native grapes built the foundation of modern American winemaking.
In addition to their wines only being made from American grown grapes, Briar Rose Winery’s roots are as American as one can get. This winery was originally built by one of the creative artisans of Disneyland’s Fantasyland, as a tribute to his wife. To further enhance the American feeling of the winery, sprinkled around the property are whimsical tributes to Disney, including original artwork memorabilia, fairytale statues and secret hidden messages on the walls of the cottage (tasting room) only visible at sunset.
