De Burca Winery

Our primary vineyard (Cooper’s Mill, featured on our home page) is located in Forestville, Sonoma County and it lies in the Russian River Valley viticultural area. It is planted to Pinot Noir clones, Dijon and Pommard. The soil is deep alluvial and the vines are planted on 7-foot rows with seven feet between vines. This vineyard is bordered by Mark West Creek on its entire Northern edge. It is a wonderful habitat for many wild animals that live along its’ banks. We have seen numerous bird species, river otters, deer, turkeys, fox, raccoons, skunks, and opossum. We haven’t had too much predation on our fruit, and we love animals so we consider the loss of fruit as a sort of wildlife tax. The vineyard is adjacent to the historic site where the first power-operated saw mill was located. It was built by Captain John B. R. Cooper Circa 1838. John Cooper married the daughter of General Vallejo and therefore was granted a large amount of land including our vineyard site. The mill location has been recognized as the birthplace of the state’s multi-billion dollar timber products industry.

Author: Caroline Porsiel

Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.