Vinos de Mar y Sol’s Merlot Receives Gold Medal.

Vinos de Mar y Sol brings something entirely new to the wine industry. The creation of Violeta Barroso, Vinos de Mar y Sol are made to enrich the latino food experience. The style is described as fruity, refreshing and smooth-bodied. The 2002 Gold Medal winning Merlot embodies this style and is the first of this varietal for the brand. Mar y Sol’s Merlot was up against nearly 90 Merlots from wineries all over California. Ms. Barroso commented on the award, “This is an excellent response to what we’re doing at Mar y Sol. Hopefully this will encourage more people to give our latino-influenced style a try and they’ll see that we’re making great wines that everyone can enjoy.”

Originally from Mexico, Violeta first became familiar with winemaking through the work of her family. In the late seventies, as immigrants to California, the Barroso family settled in the Salinas Valley to work in the vineyards of the then budding Central Coast wine region. After graduating from high school, Violeta moved to a farm of a different sort. She attended “The Farm” at Stanford University where she received a degree in Biological Sciences. Violeta eventually returned to the Central Coast to work in area wineries. It was with the help of her family that the ideas for Mar y Sol
began to develop in 2001.

The Mar y Sol line of wines includes Sereno (morning dew), a 2003 Chardonnay; Calido (warm-hearted), a 2002 Syrah; and the previously mentioned 2002 Merlot. Awareness of Vinos de Mar y Sol has spread through latino communities mostly through word-of-mouth leading to an impressive grass-roots growth of the brand. Featured at finer Mexican and latino restaurants around the country; Ms. Barroso credits the community’s acceptance of Mar y Sol wines to the brand’s first-hand understanding of the latino community and the company’s authentic approach in crafting wines for this market. From a small
initial bottling, Mar y Sol has seen a yearly doubling of production since 2002.