Charbono

Charbono

Fortino Winery

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The History of our founders and by extension our winery starts in Italy. Both of our founders, Ernest (Ernie) and Marie Fortino goes back to Italy where they were born. Marie emigrated from Sicily to the United States with her family at the age of eleven, while Ernie came to the United States at the age of 23 from Cosenza, in the region of Calabria.

Ernie met Marie in Santa Cruz, where their respective families were living. Ernie was immediately taken by Marie and gave her a promise ring while she was still in school, thus ensuring that she would not date anyone other than him. They married in Santa Cruz in 1964 and started their lives together. Ernie and Marie had two children (Gino and Teri) when they found and purchased a very run-down winery in Gilroy in 1970. As young newlyweds and immigrants, they had very modest means, however, they were able to purchase the building and the land surrounding it, thus beginning their legacy in the Santa Clara Valley.

Milano Family Winery

glass of red wine - Pixabay

Milano Family Winery specializes in some of the more unknown varietals such as Carignane, Charbono and Valdiguie as well as the more known Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Merlot. Housed in an former hop kiln this quaint tasting room is just off highway 101 just south of Hopland. I was quite impressed with the tasting room staff and the genuine feeling that you get when you first enter the room. The wine itself isn't earth shattering, but it's decent quality enough to keep most visitors interested.

ZD Wines

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Norman and Gino rented a small farm building in the Carneros region of Sonoma County. They purchased winegrapes, some 50-gallon oak barrels and a redwood vat. Three hundred cases of Pinot Noir and a small amount of White Riesling represented ZD's first commercial vintage in 1969. The grapes were purchased from the Winery Lake Vineyard, which had been planted a few years earlier by René di Rosa. ZD's 1969 Pinot Noir carries the historical significance of being the first wine to have a Carneros designation on the label. It states, "Made in Sonoma from grapes grown in the Carneros region of Napa." The Chardonnay winegrapes from Winery Lake Vineyard were not in production until 1971, which is the first vintage of ZD Chardonnay.

Jeff Runquist Wines

clusters of grapes

About Jeff Runquist Wines

For the adventurous wine drinker eager to explore the diversity of the wine world, Jeff Runquist Wines offers unique varietals sourced from California’s premier appellations, inspired by the curiosity and passion of the growers and winemakers.

Winemaker Jeff Runquist produces balanced wines that can be enjoyed in their youth while also having the potential to age and develop more complexity over time. His wines feature a consistent theme of fresh fruit, reflecting the inherent varietal flavors of the grapes. Jeff sources grapes from various regions across California, with plans to crush over twenty different varieties from nine different appellations for the 2013 vintage. While most wines are produced in small, limited quantities, four principal wines are consistently available throughout the year: Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Petit Verdot.

Jeff selects grapes from vineyards that yield rich, full flavors without excessive astringent tannins. He has a preference for wines that are vibrant and zesty. "Once I release a new vintage, I rarely revisit the previous year's wine. My father appreciates that; it means more older wines for him," Jeff notes.

His journey in the wine industry began in 1977 when he interned with Seagrams at their Paul Masson Sherry Cellars in Madera while studying enology at UC Davis. After graduating in 1980, he worked in the cellar at Montevina in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley, where he was promoted to winemaker in 1982. Following a three-year tenure at the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery from 1987 to 1990, Jeff became the winemaker for J. Lohr winery in San Jose. It was during his time at J. Lohr that he realized he needed to create wine under his own label.

In 1995, Jeff crushed ten tons of Zinfandel from the Massoni Ranch in Amador’s Shenandoah Valley, and on April 1, 1997, he released 700 cases of that Zinfandel under his own name. In 1996 and 1997, he produced his wines at Sycamore Creek Winery in Morgan Hill, followed by a stint at McManis Family Vineyard Winery in Ripon from 1998 through the 2010 vintage. In 2006, he returned to Amador County after purchasing a small five-acre walnut orchard on Shenandoah Road. In the spring of 2008, Jeff and Margie opened their tasting room, and production facilities followed, allowing Jeff to crush the majority of their production in Amador starting in 2011.

Photo courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso

August Briggs Wines

corks and wine glass - Pixabay

The tasting room is at the end of the main road in Calistoga, you cant miss it. Its a smaller place with three bars for tasting, all in the same room. Their dog would greet you when you walked in which was kind of nice. I really liked this place because it was smaller, they took their time with your and would answer any questions you had. The other wines were very good too but it was our first winery on the trip so we just picked up the one bottle. We spent about 45 minutes there and will definitely stop back in next time in Calistoga.

Doval Estate Winery

Sarah greets you in the tasting room

Dorval Winery

Welcome to an Extraordinary California Estate Winery. Fine wine, charcuterie, live music, family days, activities, and vineyard trails. Enjoy! Immerse yourself in sustainability and craftsmanship with the exquisite organically grown wines from DORVAL Mountain Vineyards, exclusively at DORVAL Estate Winery. Dorval goes beyond mere grape cultivation. You will find this winery's wine-craft is an unparalleled experience that seamlessly intertwines with the rhythms of nature and the essence of purity.

Shypoke Winery

wine corks and wine glass - Pixabay

Shypoke calls the Calistoga AVA home, with its Estate vineyard nestled in the northwestern corner of the world-famous Napa Valley. The dirt-to-bottle journey began in 1904 when Peter Heitz’s great-grandparents, having immigrated from Alsace, planted roots and established bonded winery #130 for the production of fine wines. Over five generations of grape growers and winemakers, the Heitz family has continued the vision and efforts initiated in 1904. Each wine honors the traditions of a family working together to farm heirloom vines and handcraft the resulting fruit into uniquely elegant and honest wines that reflect their place and vintage.

T-Vine Cellars

grape cluster - Pixabay

T-Vine was founded in 1992 with a passion for making small lots of big juicy wines – specializing in old vines: Grenache, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.  Highly recommend calling in your reservation, but walk-ins are welcome.

Papagni Wines

glass of wine

Over the years, Papagni has become a very diversified company bent on producing the finest grapes possible for the winemaker, and the consumer. While they guarantee that excellent wine can be produced from their grapes, and fresh grape juice, because for eighty years, their customers, and our own family have been doing just that: making exceptionally complex, quality wines using our grapes.Some of the oldest continuous wineries in the state of California. The Papagni family tradition of growing grapes for winemaking reaches back to Bari, Italy. Family members have passed down the art of grape growing from generation to generation. The Papagni family have extended the grape growing traditions that started in Italy, to central California in 1912 and now to Madera, California. The Papagni family dreamed of fine wines made from the San Joaquin Valley so they planted premium grape varieties, combining carefully monitored vineyards with the most modern technical advances in cultivation and irrigation with the ancient traditions that yield the finest of premium wines. Red, white, port and dessert wines.

Duxoup Wine Works

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Pronounced "Duck Soup". This winery offers very limited quantities of unique varietals with a total production of only 1500 cases per year. Duxoup was founded in 1981 by two free-spirited, inquisitive winemakers: Deborah and Andrew Cutter. They built the winery with small production, gentle, gravity flow winemaking in mind. Duxoup wines are silky, fruity, and come from venerable vineyards. The wines express not only terroir, but the highly skilled work of the two owners, both experienced and respected for their independence and consistent quality. The wines are rare, but well worth the effort to find. Duxoup produces a Dolcetto, Gamay Noir, Sangiovese, and Syrah.

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