L'Italo-Americano

SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano E nd of summer is fast approach- i n g , y e t t h e beautiful land- s c a p e o f t h e wine country and the warm w e a t h e r a r o u n d t h e S a n Francisco Bay Area don't seem to suggest so. Sundays mean, for many, a glass of wine and a relaxing time with family and friends u n d e r t h e s u n n y s k i e s o f S o n o m a C o u n t y . F e s t a Italiana, the event orga- n i z e d b y O r s i F a m i l y Vineyards in the tiny city o f H e a l d s b u r g o n A u g u s t 1 8 t h , t u r n e d i n t o a g r e a t addition to this year's sum- mer calendar for many wine lovers. Rather than hopping from one winery to another, attendees joined the Orsi family at their location in Dry Creek Valley for a one- of-kind event: learn about w i n e m a k i n g , s i p I t a l i a n grape varieties grown in Cal- i f o r n i a , a n d m e e t a r t i s a n producers, often undiscov- ered beyond the area. The idea for a celebration of Italian grapes grown in California came almost two years ago and Mark Orsi, G e n e r a l M a n a g e r o f t h e small family business, and h i s t e a m a r e b e h i n d t h e unique experience: "I could- n't get it together last year, t h e n w e w o r k e d h a r d o n conceptualizing it, so every winery from the area could leverage their existing rela- tionships and invite their customers." The spirit behind Festa Italia was to promote Italian varieties and wineries grow- ing Italian grapes; the ulti- m a t e g o a l w a s t o g e t t h e public to appreciate less- known businesses. Before the expert panel and the offi- cial tasting kicked off, atten- dees may or may not have even known all the wines on display, so this was the best way to find out about them. "Today we are allowing every b u s i n e s s t o s h a r e t h e i r knowledge about wine and e v e r y c u s t o m e r t o l e a r n something." There was no room for competition in a setting like this, a sold out event is a good sign for the wineries to get new clients and for the customers to find new gems that they didn't know about. Family is at the core of the business and the wine com- munity is one of its own: this i s a l s o w h y M a r k a n d h i s t e a m d e c i d e d t o h a v e a n e v e n t w h e r e t h i r t y o t h e r w i n e r i e s w o u l d b e s h o w - cased. "These small wineries are run by local families and everyone is involved. It gives t h e c o n s u m e r a t a s t e o f everything: they see what they like and buy it," he told us. Orsi Family Vineyards, born in 2012, covers 70 acres of land. Bernie Orsi is the man who made it happen: f i r s t - g e n e r a t i o n I t a l i a n , raised in California, Bernie's mother was born in Ischia, and his father in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from Lucchesi par- ents. "I grew up in a fishing village which is now a little town, San Pedro. I attended St. Mary's College in Mora- ga, where I met my wife. I still remember my dad keep- ing his fiasco under the table during lunch and sharing wine with the family at his own pace." The Orsi's story doesn't s t a r t w i t h w i n e t h o u g h . Bernie spent thirty years in the beer business, but in the US and overseas, and got interested in wine-making and Italian varietals only later in life. "We went over t o I t a l y o n e y e a r , " h e recalled. "I couldn't believe how easy it was to have a whole bottle of wine with dinner. You drink it, get up, go down the street, and take a little stroll. The way they treat the grapes is a lot bet- ter, Italian wines have less alcohol and don't bother you after." Winemaking is a special a r t , w i t h v a r i a b l e s t h a t change every season: "You bring the grapes in the barrel and don't know what's going to happen. You crush the grapes, start fermentation, and all of a sudden you start figuring out what you got. You can't push or force it if you're doing it the way we do. It's all about creation, creativity, and evolution," Bernie continued. "Each sea- son is different because of Mother Nature. At least, she t r e a t s e v e r y o n e t h e s a m e w a y , s h e g o t n o s p e c i a l friends." Mark Orsi, Bernie's son, became the GM of Orsi Fam- ily Vineyards five years ago. Each day in the life of a Gen- eral Manager of a small busi- ness is different. "You come in the morning and there's a new set of things that come up and something you have to solve. When you put in all this hard work, you will see the fruits of your labor." All the unexpected things t h e y f a c e c a n h e l p b u i l d resilience though. "In the year 2020, a fire broke out just in the hills beyond us, here. All these grapes were s m o k e d t a i n t e d , a n d destroyed basically," Mark shared. "That year, we didn't have much production, so we had to take some of 2021 and pull it forward while saving the 2019 production to cover that gap." Staying small may become crucial as it allows them to navigate those waters a little bit bet- ter. "Our tasting room has only been open for about three and a half years and it has been a great ride so far. We started to see some trac- tion from all the efforts we're making and trying to get a presence in the community," he concludes. Among the winemakers w e m e t a t F e s t a I t a l i a , G i u s e p p e a n d T r a v i s R a m a z z o t t i , f a t h e r a n d son, had different wines up for tasting. "We immigrated in 1958 when I was eight y e a r s o l d . I u s e d t o p i c k prunes as a kid, then as an adult I started making wine. I've been growing grapes for forty years, the wine busi- ness is only twenty years old," Giuseppe shared. "We make wine from fif- teen to eighteen different varieties year to year. We are both the farmers and the vineyard managers. We're a rare vertically integrated winery, where everything we produce and farm goes into o u r w i n e s , " T r a v i s l e t u s know. Lots of work for a six- people business. E v e r y o n e h e r e k n o w s good wine well and can help find the best match for each customer's taste. "My per- sonal favorite is Lacrima di La Torre, a unique variety from the region where our family is from, Le Marche. It's one of those wines you try one time and you'll be able to taste it blind. You d r i n k i t w i t h c h e e s e a n d charcuterie or pair it with a more hearty dish, like wild boar, stews, and braised rab- b i t s o r l e n t i l s a n d m u s h - room." Running the winery as a family business is essential to many winemakers who were part of this celebration. B e r n i e a l s o m a d e s u r e i t stays at the core of the name and the brand, the Orsi Fam- ily Vineyard: "If you go into the tasting room, you see a picture of my whole family," h e t o l d u s w h i l e h i s e y e s c a u g h t h i s g r a n d s o n D o m i n i c i n t h e c r o w d . "We're talking about family a n d t h e r e h e s h o w s u p . That's the key to our busi- ness. This November, I'll be 81 years old. While I am not r e t i r e d y e t , m y s o n , m y d a u g h t e r s , a n d m y w i f e , everybody's got a little bit to do with it. I hope my legacy will stay through this winery, we shall see what happens." Festa Italia di Healdsburg at Orsi Family Vineyards unveils California's Italian varietal wines SERENA PERFETTO Festa Italia was organized by the Orsi Family at the Orsi Family Vineyards, and saw the warm participation of the com- munity and many winemakers (Photo courtesy Eden Ballard, University of San Francisco)

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