Ceja Vineyards

Ceja Vineyards Reopens + Wine Country Recovery

Dear Friends:

We’re touched by the outpouring of concern, well wishes and support we’ve received over the past 10 days. We’re fortunate our family and our Ceja team members and their families are safe and our properties were not affected by the wildfires. We extend our deepest appreciation to the brave firefighters, first responders and community members for their tireless efforts.

We’re pleased to announce our wine tasting salon in Sonoma will reopen tomorrow, October 20th, at 11:00am. We encourage you to visit us to enjoy our delicious wines and legendary hospitality and please also support our wine country community in the Napa and Sonoma counties.

In a continued effort to raise funds to support all those impacted by these tragic fires, Ceja Vineyards will be donating 25% of online wine sales from October 19th to October 31th, to the Napa Valley Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the Sonoma County Community Foundation Resilience Fund.

We’re grateful for your friendship and loyalty and we look forward to hosting you in our beautiful valleys soon! Wine country welcomes you back!

¡Salud!

Amelia Morán Ceja, President

Napa and Sonoma Fire Update from Ceja Vineyards

Dear Friends & Family of our Wine Country Community,

On behalf of the whole Ceja Vineyards team, our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the devastating North Bay wildfires. Thank you so much for your encouraging messages over the past three days. Your words of concern and kindness have been beyond heart-warming for us during this difficult time.

We are relieved and thankful to share with you that our team and families are safe. Our buildings and vineyards have also been miraculously spared. 

The news throughout our beloved wine valleys is heartbreaking. We are incredibly grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders working day and night to keep us and our loved ones safe. 

Ceja Vineyards is regrouping and we will be announcing a benefit soon to support those affected when the ash settles.

If you’d like to help, please consider donating to organizations that are on the ground working tirelessly to support those affected. Some include:

Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) Disaster Relief Fund

Redwood Credit Union (RCU) Community Fund

100% of your donations will go directly to assist those affected by the fires.

Thank you again for your support, compassion, and kindness.

Sincerely,

The Ceja Vineyards Team

Join Dalia Ceja and NG: The Next Generation in Wine for a Tasting Event in San Francisco!

Celebrate the fall season and join Dalia Ceja and NG: Next Generation in Wine for a Sunday funday wine tasting event in San Francisco!

Sunday, Nov. 12th, 2017
Presidio Golf Course at the Club Lounge
300 Finley Rd, San Francisco, CA 94129
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Meet and greet eleven next generation Napa Valley wineries and enjoy 33 wines while sampling tantalizing bites from the Club Lounge. What's more, you will have the opportunity to purchase the wines onsite -- perfect for stocking your cellars or for holiday gifts.

-$50 for WC members & Fans | Promo Code: CEJAWC
-$55 regular pre-sale until October 27th
-$65 at the door

Purchase Tickets

Gather your friends and family for this fabulous event. We can't wait to see you all there!

Learn more about NG: Next Generation in Wine

Napa Valley Entertaining Book

Summer is almost over but it doesn't mean that you have to put your hostess with the "mostest" party hats away! We're excited to be part of the new coffee table book, Napa Valley Entertaining. In Napa Valley, eating, drinking and entertaining with friends and familia is a feast for all senses and seasons. This book is an insider's guide to entertaining with a bit of wine country flair by highlighting a variety of dishes, décor and diversity that make Napa such a special place to call my hometown.  

Go behind the scenes and experience a meal with dozens of Napa Valley's most preeminent hosts and wineries through this gorgeous collection of photography, recipes and stories by Blakesley Chappellet and Briana Marie. Our colorful and festive spread will have your mouth watering and excited to throw your next fiesta!

P.S. Books are available for purchase HERE and will soon be available at our Ceja wine tasting rooms. Salud! 

Melodies of the Danube Ceja Wine Cruise

Join Ceja Vineyards and travel on the melodious Danube through four European countries experiencing some of the region’s most celebrated wines and sights in Europe’s heartland. Savor the flavors of the Wachau Valley with delightfully nuanced Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners. Enliven your palatte with apricots and sweets in Dürnstein, goulash in Budapest, Bratwurst in Regensburg and pretzels in Bavaria. And all along the way, be tempted by the sights and sounds which have inspired musicians, poets and artists throughout the centuries. Begin your cruise in Budapest, continuing on to Vienna. Visit the spectacular Benedictine Abbey in Melk and explore charming medieval towns.

NOVEMBER 4 - 11, 2018 | ABOARD THE AMALEA

COUNTRIES: AUSTRIA, GERMANY, HUNGARY
RIVERS: DANUBE

To book this exclusive wine cruise, or for more information contact:

Patty Hoey at AAA Travel

707-252-5619 • patty.hoey@norcal.aaa.com

View Full Itinerary

Behind The Vines: Meet Pedro Ceja

Pedro Ceja harvesting grapes in 1982

Behind The Vines: Meet Pedro Ceja, Founder & Engineer

If there’s a way to build it, Pedro Ceja will find it. Coming as he did to the Napa Valley at the age of 12 and working with his father—a bracero—Pedro’s heart has always been in Napa’s vineyards and the pursuit to leave a legacy of the Ceja familia.

Pedro, who graduated from Napa Valley College in 1977 with a degree in electrical engineering, is a great fan and supporter of the NVC where he studied telecommunications, electronics and radio frequencies is grateful for the education he received. “The NVC gave me the opportunity to secure my future and my existing job as an electrical engineer with Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.” The company is the world leader in scientific products and services with revenues of $17 billion and approximately 50,000 employees in 50 countries. The company’s mission is “to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.”

Pedro knows from his work as an engineer that even the simplest product represents a lot of skill and work. He brings a forward-looking practicality and analytical eye to the family’s expanding the Ceja winery plans. “Creating a beach with one grain of sand at a time is a lot of work.” As Pedro unfurls the architect’s rendering of the new winery building that Pedro designed many times in his mind over the years, there’s an understated pride in his explanation of each detail. There’s also a sense that this milestone in the life of the family is only the beginning of a long future that Pedro can already see.

 

Add Some Spice To Your Everyday Life!

Last week I was honored to share my story with Cru Podcast - Stories from The People Behind the Wine! I had a blast chatting with founder, Chappy Cottrell, about my career, passion projects, family story and much, much more!

Behind the Vines: Meet Amelia Morán Ceja

Behind the Vines: Meet Amelia Morán Ceja, President & Founder

Her philosophy: Amelia Morán Ceja reveals her conviction that the diligent pursuit of a passion is key to success. She notes, “My grandmother told me, whatever you do, if you love it and learn everything you can about it, you will always be successful.”

Amelia’s love affair with food started in Las Flores, Jalisco, Mexico, where she began cooking on her own at the age of eight in the farm kitchen of a strong maternal grandmother. “Mamá Chepa” taught Amelia to cook with fresh, home grown ingredients. When Amelia joined her father, Felipe Morán, in Rutherford in 1967, Amelia threw herself into her new world. On her first weekend in the Napa Valley, Amelia was in the vineyard, harvesting with a knife that seemed half the size of the petite 12-year old.

Along with her key roles at Ceja Vineyards, some of her other passions include social justice causes and giving back to the community. She's the recipient of the 2016 Dolores Huerta Farmworker Justice Award and she's honored to share her story as the Keynote Speaker at the upcoming MLK Monday Community Celebration. Join her for a community gathering celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King while continuing his legacy through a day of action and compassion.

MLK Monday Community Celebration Event - Everyone is Welcome!
When: Monday, January 16th, 2017
Where: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Address: 960 Caymus St, Napa Ca 94559
Time: 7pm
Cost: Free

Photo by Sarah Deragon

Behind The Vines: Meet Armando Ceja, Winemaker

Behind The Vines: Meet Armando Ceja, Winemaker 

His philosophy: “Making wine is more like making preserves than jam,” he says; he favors preserving bright fruit over highly-extracted flavors and high alcohol because it creates wines that stay balanced, youthful and vibrant.

Armando made his first wine when he was 17 years old. He jumped at the offer of a free lot of Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon grapes turning it into his first vintage. After earning an associate degree in chemistry, he graduated in 1985 from UC Davis with a BS in Enology. From there, he worked at Kenwood Vineyards in both winemaking and vineyard management before joining the management team at the Christian Brothers winery on Mt. Veeder. His experience as a viticulturist and enologist continued to thrive from there. 

Balance and perspective is key for him as a winemaker. “I know my roots,” says Armando. “I enjoy being with my crew and I enjoy being with other winemakers. I am who I am. My job is to ensure that the fermentation is going clean and that the things that make good wine are in place. The biggest compliment is when someone says, ‘I had a glass of your wine. I really enjoyed it.'

Ceja Vineyards featured on NBC Latino's One Heritage, Two Generations Series

 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Amelia and Dalia Ceja were selected to be featured on NBC Latino. We're grateful to our family and friends for the continued support.