Dolcetto

Dolcetto

Duxoup Wine Works

glass of wine - Pixabay

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.

Wild Hog Vineyard

wine corks and glass -Pixabay

Wild Hog Vineyard is at the headwaters of Wild Hog Creek (from which the winery derives its name) 45 minutes west of the small town of Cazadero. At 1400 feet elevation and 5 miles from the Ocean east of Fort Ross, the vineyard avoids most of the summer fog. The climate of the coastal range, in conjunction with our farming practices, helps to produce intense flavorful grapes.far off the beaten path, which, in my opinion, makes the place all the more special. There is no way anyone could find this place on his/her own. (You have to meander for miles on a narrow dirt road.) If you are one of the few people fortunate enough to do an actual tasting at this small, informal winery, you likely will meet the proprietor, Daniel Schoenfeld, a warm, kind-hearted gentleman, who obviously is passionate about wine-making. (He, quite appropriately, self-describes his line of work as a "labor of love.")

Acorn Winery

Paint of woman with glass of wine

Acorn Winery is a small family winery in Healdsburg, appointment only . We were there for about 1.5 hours talking and tasting with the owners, who were super-friendly. Their wine is very good.~ Art work by Wine Artist Agata Zaborowski – Agata Art Gallery

Montoliva Vineyards & Winery

wine and cheese

Some of the original settlers of Chicago Park were first-generation Italian-Americans from Chicago, Illinois. The orchards and vineyards of Chicago Park bear witness to their quest to start a community in the untamed West that mirrored their homeland. Their spirit lives on at Montoliva Vineyard & Winery. Founded in 2000, Montoliva Vineyard & Winery creates Tuscan-inspired wines of uncommon depth and character.

Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery

wine pouring from a bottle - Pixabay

urrent labels for the Graziano Family of Wines are Saint Gregory, Monte Volpe, Enotria and Graziano. The four labels are crafted to preserve each variety's integrity by employing time honored Old World cellar practices perfected by the gentle application of modern technology.

Palmina Wines

wine swirling in the glass - Pixabay - Saman Teher

Palmina is more than a winery. It is a philosophy, a passion and a strongly held belief that wine is an extension of the plate, a component of a meal and a means to bring people together. Formed by winemaker Steve Clifton in 1995, Palmina is named in honor of Steve’s great friend Paula. Like a grandmother to him, she taught Steve to love cooking, wine and the Italian lifestyle and was a spark in his life. After Paula succumbed to breast cancer, Steve found that her given name on her Italian birth certificate was Palmina, and the winery was thus fittingly named.

Du Vigne Winery

wine corks and glass - Pixabay

Since its inception in 2001, Due Vigne Winery has pioneered the production of hand-crafted Italian varietals, cultivated in carefully selected wine regions across California. The winery is committed to sourcing grapes from vineyards with distinct terroir, each suited to enhancing the characteristics of these varietals. From the high-elevation Sierra Foothills to the coastal and forest influences of Monterey County, every bottle of Due Vigne reflects the unique flavors of its terroir. The winery is centrally located in these renowned regions, situated at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, California, with a mission to create world-class Italian varietals nurtured in Californian soil.

Winemaker Ken Musso can often be found among the vineyards, tending to the rows, stirring the soil, and caring for the vines. His passion for Italian wines is driven by the terroir, or “sense of place,” and his meticulous attention to detail ensures that every bottle of Due Vigne is exceptional.

Ken Musso’s lifelong passion for winemaking began in his youth, inspired by observing his father and grandfather making wine in the basement of a historic San Francisco building. The sight and aroma of fermenting grapes left a lasting impression, strengthening his dedication to winemaking. This passion was further fueled when Ken and his cousin discovered several bottles of their grandfather’s last vintage, a 1937 Zinfandel, igniting his determination to uphold the family tradition.

In 1973, Ken embarked on a thirty-year career in firefighting, temporarily setting aside his winemaking aspirations until the establishment of Due Vigne in 2004. As a relatively new firefighter in 1975, Ken brought his first ton of Zinfandel home from Sonoma in his father’s car and fermented it in the garage, emulating his father and grandfather’s methods. The success of this wine among family and friends inspired him to seek out more grapes, ideally those he could grow himself.

Ken continued to produce wines for family and friends over thirty vintages while refining his winemaking skills through classes and seminars at UC Davis and other educational institutions. In 1995, Ken and his wife Ann realized their dream of establishing a vineyard by purchasing a five-acre parcel in Garden Valley, California, where they planted their acclaimed Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, and Sagrantino.

By 2004, Ken released his inaugural vintage of Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, and Cabernet Sauvignon under the Due Vigne label. Since then, Due Vigne has expanded to produce over 3,000 cases annually and offers more than 15 different varietals, many of which are rooted in the Sierra Foothills. Alongside his business partner, Nina Fadelli, Ken Musso has developed a portfolio of well-balanced, richly complex, and distinctive Italian varietals, all cultivated and grown in California’s fertile soil.

Ponte Winery

people sharing wine

The winery: Service was great. Wine tasting was nice, definitely do that. Lots to choose from and the chips are really good. The wines were nice as well. We took the tour which was pretty cool. The tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable. He took us on a tour of the winery, told us a little about the surrounding area and the process how the wine is made. 

Nevada City Winery

grape cluster - Pixabay

More than a few small wineries have started in a garage, but we may be the only Winery to begin that way, move on to bigger and better quarters, and still be in a garage. Founded in 1980 in a small garage on the outskirts of town, in 1982 the Winery moved to its present location, the historic Miners Foundry Garage, on Spring St in downtown Nevada City. Remarkably, the Winery is located less than two blocks from where the original Nevada City Winery stood over a century ago. The Winery was begun by Allan Haley, a Nevada County native with a European wine education and a dream of bringing winemaking back to our region. In 1880 there were over 300 acres of grapes in the County. In 1980 when the Winery opened there was one small vineyard, recently planted. Twenty years later there are again well over 300 acres of grapes and the wine industry is flourishing once more.

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