In 1990 Joe started planting a vineyard on a 40-acre parcel in Calaveras county. He planted only Portuguese varietals. In 2000 Joe started building what would become Catano Winery on the lower level and the family home up top. February 2001 Joe met Anna, asked her to be his wife in July and they entered wedded Bliss in December. In October 2002 Joe and (8 month pregnant) Anna had their first harvest in their newly bonded winery. All grapes are hand picked, pressed, bottled, and labeled by a very supportive group of family and friends. After a hard days work, they enjoy food and wine together!Catano Winery created the brand name Quintetta because we primarily use 5 traditional Portuguese Port varietals: Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barroca.

Over a 100 years ago, the first known woman wine grower in California, Dona Marcelina Felix Dominguez, grew Mission vines on her Santa Barbara property. The vines survived, and when Deborah Hall and her late husband, William, brought the property in 1994, they discovered these vines under a heavy cover of brush. They originally thought the vines were Zinfandel, and sold them as such to other vintners. DNA testing at University of California Davis later revealed that they were Mission vines. Mission vines were brought into California in 1767 by Spanish Padres from Mexico who established a chain of missions from San Diego to Sonoma from 1767 to 1833. Deborah’s ancient Mission vineyard of three acres is part of only ten acres still growing in California.

Winemaker James Foster’s love for the land began as a child growing up on the family farm, the historic Roseland Plantation in Eufaula, Alabama. As a teenager, his love for the land spread to the vine: spending many summers as a “cellar rat” in various wineries, James had a full vineyard-to-bottle view of winemaking. Inspired to learn more, he studied Enology at Fresno State University, then honed his winemaking skills over the last 13 years at The Wine Group. Along the way, he has partnered with grower-winemakers from around the globe on a portfolio of varietally and regionally expressive, exceptional wines at all price points.
Since 2009, James has worked with a team of winemakers on crafting flipflop wines. By collaborating closely with partner winemakers at the source, he is able to stay true to each wine’s varietal character.