QUPÉ, USA

Andrew has been making wine in Santa Barbara County for over three decades and recently acquired Qupé to strengthen his Rhône inspired wines. All of Andrew's wines draw fruit from the breezy cool climate East-West valleys that run along California's Central coast. His philosophy emphasises that great wines are grown in the vineyard. His wines honour careful site selection and are produced with minimal intervention. The original founder, Bob Lindquist, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the Californian poppy logo of the winery is now world renowned.

Viticulture

Both vineyard and winemaking practices prioritise longevity and environmental responsibility. Qupé source grapes exclusively from cool-climate, east-west orientated valleys along California’s Central Coast, benefiting from maritime fog and evening breezes. The vineyards are sustainably farmed and certified with SIP with some organic production.

Winemaking

Andrew Murray has employed traditional winemaking techniques, including open top ferments, partial whole clusters, native yeasts, and manual punch downs. French oak barrels including some new oak is used. Much of the fruit is destemmed upon arrival and then fermented in a mixture of small open top and medium sized closed tanks. After elevage of 2 to 3 weeks, the wine is gently pressed to stainless to settle before transferring to mostly new French Burgundy barrels for 12-18 months.