Quixote Winery - Production and Facilities

Production and Facilities

Quixote Winery produces Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon varietal wines exclusively, under the "Quixote" and "Panza" labels. Fruit is sourced from the 27 acres (11 ha), organically-farmed Stags’ Leap Ranch estate vineyard that was planted in 1996 located between Stags' Leap Winery and Shafer Vineyards. The wine, which retails at $40 to $65 per bottle, is bottled with screwcaps rather than corks for better quality and storage. The wines are highly rated and receive numerous awards. Food and Wine Magazine rated Quixote one of the twenty best new wineries in the world between 1999 and 2004.

The winery building, including grounds, is the only United States project built by Viennese architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928–2000). Among other unusual touches, the winery is designed in a whimsical, exotic way with ceramic tiles, irregularly rounded and painted columns, and deliberately uneven floors designed for their tactile effect on occupants' feet. There are no right angles, except in the basement. The design style has been called phantasmagoric, psychedelic, and Dr. Seuss-like, and also likened to "the creation of a beautifully demented child". The winery structure is dominated by an onion dome covered in gold leaf, as well as a living roof topped with grass, bushes, and trees.