Varozza Vineyards is owned by Jack and Dianna Varozza. A couple that took over Jack's father's winery. The couple is absolutely amazing and nice. Great down home feel to this tour. Dianne can answer any question, comfortable atmosphere. Free tour you will feel like you need a bottle of wine to take with you.
Nestled on the Northeast border of the Temecula Valley sits Doffo Winery. Founded in 1997 by Marcelo Doffo, it is one of a few micro-boutique wineries in the region and the only one built around the former site of a Temecula historic landmark schoolhouse. Situated on 15 acres of rolling vineyards, the winery possesses a unique combination of old-world and warm family charm. It is also home to MotoDoffo, the family's private collection of over 100 racing and vintage motorcycles.
*Tiny* building with beautiful scenery, Teldeschi let us venture into the back room to see all the Oak barrels with the sweet alcoholic juices we were imbibing. There's something to be said about a winery just being a place for wine.
Wing Canyon has played a major role in the evolution of Mt. Veeder as a prominent wine-producing region. From vineyards to carp farm, popular resort to a camp for the blind Wing Canyon has been home to valley pioneers and visitors for over a century. Captain Stalhan Wing produced the first Mt Veeder wine, which he entered into the Napa County Fair in 1864. He was also known for his carp, thousands of which he raised in man-made ponds amongst the vineyards.
Winemaker Chris Ferrara is deeply influenced by his Sicilian heritage, Chris creates Italian varietals that are old-world, iconic, and elegant. Tucked in between the rolling hills of the Templeton Gap AVA and surrounded by vegetable gardens and roaming chickens, Clesi Winery is open Thursday through Sunday in their Tasting Room at 1873 Templeton Road in Templeton. After more than a decade in San Luis Obispo, Adrienne and Chris Ferrara of Clesi bought 30 acres in 2015 to return to the Templeton AVA.
Most of the 2000 case annual production is sold to a mailing list on a first-come basis. Part of each offering is a very limited amount of the Cabernet made ten years earlier, as an illustration of the ageworthiness of our wine. The balance is split between a broad but thin presence in many of the well known wine stores in the U.S., and a definite presence in almost all European countries together with the principle Asian markets.
Melani, Owner & Winemaker
Melani’s love of wine started when she was a Navy nurse stationed in Naples, Italy, in 2009. While living in Italy, she traveled throughout Europe and gathered wines along the way, creating an impressive collection. She fell in love with the way wine brought people together. Over the next 10 years, she hosted wine gatherings, taught and took classes, and took an informal but fun approach to learning about wine.
In 2017, Melani began volunteering at the Tackitt Family Vineyards for a Warrior Helping Warriors fundraiser, where she fell further in love with the winemaking process, the people, and Paso Robles. She offered to assist the Tackitts at their events and started to learn more about the intricacies of winemaking and viticulture under the tutelage of Leon Tackitt- this is where she realized her dream of owning a winery. Melani knows the importance of the translation of the Bon Niche name- “a good place.” Through the years, she has come to realize that life is about enjoying the people, the place, and the moment. Wine has brought many people, places, and special moments to life for Melani, and her dream is to create a very good place with great wine.
Mount Eden Vineyards, a historic gem, perches at 2,000 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation, offering breathtaking views of Silicon Valley, about 50 miles south of San Francisco. Established in 1945, this pioneering boutique winery specializes in small lots of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. With the longest lineage of estate-bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in California, Mount Eden's vineyards, planted in the austere, infertile Franciscan shale of a cool, exposed mountaintop, have produced world-class wines for over half a century. In 2007, the vineyard expanded by acquiring a 55-acre estate in the Saratoga foothills, known as Domaine Eden.
In addition to their estate wines, Mount Eden Vineyards crafts non-estate Chardonnays from the Central Coast, notably the Edna Valley. Their Chardonnay from the Wolff Vineyard is particularly acclaimed, consistently earning accolades.
Since 1981, Jeffrey Patterson has been at the helm of Mount Eden's winemaking and grape growing. His philosophy prioritizes wine growing over winemaking, with a fervent commitment to gentle and natural handling of the grapes and wines.
Hidden Jewel of Sonoma County. Pezzi King Vineyards Family owned since 1993. Winemaker Chris Barrett is a native to the Sonoma County wine country. He has seen this area grow from a few wineries to the prestige that the area holds today.
Kenny Likitprakong explains the name Hobo Wine Company; "Instead of becoming a hobo, I became a “Hobo Winemaker.” Of the two ways to make wine, with and without money, the first should probably be the only, but a few of us slip through the cracks and do it on the skinny. No winery, no vineyards, no truck, no warehouse, no employees…nothing. There are advantages. Making small lots comes naturally, the flexability to pick and choose grape type, vineyard, appellation, and winery on an ongoing basis, and a larger circle of people involved which means more ideas and expertise."
