After 88 Years as Grower, Thomson Vineyards Debuts 1st Commercial Sparkling Wine

After 88 years primarily growing winegrapes for other producers, Thomson Vineyards is producing its first commercial sparkling wine, a sparkling Riesling grown, made and labeled by Thomson Vineyards at Gloria Ferrer through its custom-crush program.

The project brings together fourth-generation grower Jennifer R. Thomson and winemaker Kyle Altomare, whose professional relationship spans more than 15 years and multiple varieties and wine programs.

This year's harvest was nearly a month earlier than normal. “This is normally the week when the majority of our grapes are harvested for sparkling wine,” grower Jennifer R. Thomson said. “Instead, this year we were making harvest decisions a month ago. When your family has farmed the same region for nearly 90 years, you have a long agricultural memory. Seasons like 2026 remind you that every vintage is different and that the relationship between vineyard and winemaker matters enormously.”