Corinne -The Bottle Washer in Chief
Corinne, the winemaker, hails from South Africa and came to the United States in 1983. She settled in the Bay Area and toiled in High Technology until 2000.
Since her youth, Corinne has been passionate about the outdoors and was an avid equestrienne in South Africa where she competed successfully in Show Jumping and Eventing disciplines.
Corinne Riding Cross Country on Granada
Corinne Jumping on Saint Germain
Corinne is also a lover of fine wines, and has always been intrigued by the wine making process. Thus, looking beyond High Technology, Corinne yearned to move to the country to start a horse ranch and a hobby vineyard.
When she happened on the Torre Ranch in Amador County, she knew she had found the property of her dreams. However her priorities flipped: the hobby vineyard turned into a commercial vineyard, and the two horses which she acquired and planned to breed in 2004, are living a life of luxury, while Corinne, the winemaker, concentrates on her wine business.
Horses Living a Life of Luxury
Corinne's Wine Tree Farm Winery
Corinne owes a lot of her inspiration to her father who was a positive influence throughout her life and supported her in all her endeavors. Her brother, Ray Moore, has also been extremely supportive and helps promote her wines whenever possible.
Corinne is ‘hands-on’ in all aspects of the business and hires consultants and laborers on an as-needed basis. She practices sustainable agriculture – using as few chemicals as possible. The winery is off-grid, with Solar panels, battery backup and a backup generator.
Nic, Corinne’s son, was the inspiration for the wine and vineyard name. While passing a vineyard on a trip in the country, the then 5-year old Nic yelled out – “Look, Mom, Wine Trees!” The name stuck. Nic now too, is involved with helping his Mom realize her dream.
SyrGreMour
Wine Tree Farm’s first release was a Rhône blend SyrGreMour: derived from the first few letters of the grape varietals used in the blend (Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.)
The next release was a blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre and following the above convention was called GreMour.
GreMour
Corinne Wines
In 2012, the winery introduced the Corinne label, focusing on the Single Varietal/Single Vineyard wines—Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The ‘Wine Tree’ label will continue on the blends.