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Farella Vineyard

wine and some cheese - Pixabay

Frank Farella founded Farella-Park Vineyards in 1985, starting with a small 400-square-foot winery adjacent to his home in Napa. His journey from a modest, depression-era background to growing premium wine grapes unfolded gradually. Beginning with homemade wines from his Italian grandparents and test vintages from young Farella Vineyard grapes, the commercial venture started with a barrel of Chardonnay, a stainless-steel fermented Sauvignon Blanc, and a Merlot/Cabernet field blend in 1985.

While Frank Farella produced the first five vintages with Tom’s assistance, Tom took over winemaking duties in 1991 and continued until the end of 2018. In 2019, Ryan Pass, also a UC Davis Viticulture and Enology graduate, was promoted to Winemaker. His passion and expertise have perfectly aligned with the winery’s winemaking goals, and he and Tom continue to collaborate on the production of Farella wines.

In 2009, amidst the Great Recession, Tom Farella spearheaded the effort to petition the federal government for the designation of the "Coombsville" American Viticultural Area (AVA). This designation was granted in November 2011, making it the 16th sub-AVA of Napa Valley.

Faustini Wines

wine pouring into wine glasses - Pixabay

Anthony Faustini has been a wine collector for many years. Looking to make the jump from serious collector to wine maker he began his research on Long Island in New York, visiting wineries and trying a number of wines. Looking to expand his palate and wanting to make a California wine he came to the Napa Valley where he was introduced to Crushpad in San Francisco. Faustini's first commercial vintage was small - merely 50 cases in 2005 from the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard in St. Helena. This vintage was a teaser for Anthony and made him realize how much he wanted to be in the business. He started taking remote courses through UC Davis and because of his work for Cisco frequently found himself in California. While here for work - he also started nurturing vineyard and wine making connections. Today he lives in New York and commutes to Napa a number of times each year. Faustini currently focus on two labels, Play Date and Faustini with plans to expand. Each one of their wines involves a unique story.

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