L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano T he calendar may be turning, but in Northern Cali- fornia's Wine Country, sum- m e r s e e m s d e t e r m i n e d t o linger. The golden hills of Sonoma remain full of sun- light, creating the perfect set- ting for a Sunday in the Dry C r e e k V a l l e y . O n A u g u s t 17th, the Festa Italiana returned for its second year at Orsi Family Vineyards, offering a deep dive into the region's unique connection to Italian winemaking. This was no ordinary wine tasting. Attendees were invit- ed to a singular experience, a c e l e b r a t i o n o f t h e u n i q u e Italian grapes flourishing in California's soil and the pas- sionate artisans who cultivate them. The event, organized b y G e n e r a l M a n a g e r Mark Orsi and his team, drew a crowd eager to learn and appreciate the art of Ital- ian viticulture in a new world setting. T h e d a y b e g a n w i t h a thought-provoking panel dis- c u s s i o n l e d b y r e n o w n e d sommelier and wine journal- ist Christopher Sawyer. The conversation explored the unique challenges and triumphs of farming Italian varietals in California, from the critical decisions of site selection and vineyard prac- tices to the ultimate goal of showing authentic varietal expression. The panel includ- e d , a m o n g o t h e r s , B e r n i e O r s i o f O r s i F a m i l y V i n e - yards, Shelley Lindgren of A16 and Tansy Wines, Mick Unti of Unti Vineyards, and Bob Biale from Robert Biale Vineyards. W h i l e p r e s e n t i n g t h e i r wines, experts and business owners discussed different topics. One of the most inter- esting is the so-called cane pruning, a critical practice in viticulture, especially as v i n e y a r d s p r e p a r e f o r t h e winter season. This method involves a complete annual renewal of the fruiting wood. The previous season's canes and the woody growth that p r o d u c e d g r a p e s a r e removed entirely; in their place, new canes are selected and laid down to become the bearers of the next year's crop. This approach ensures a fresh start each season, promoting new growth and maximizing fruit production. By focusing on replacing the fruiting wood annually, cane pruning helps to maintain a balanced vine and can be particularly beneficial for certain grape varietals that have less fruitful buds at the base of their canes. It's a labor-intensive but highly effective way to manage vine health and ensure consis- tent, high-quality yields year after year. The discussion was rich with personal anecdotes and f a m i l y h i s t o r y . C h r i s t o - pher Sawyer pointed out that Sangiovese is the start- ing point for understanding Italian wine and opened the f l o o r f o r M i c k U n t i , w h o shared his family's pioneer- ing spirit. He recalled how his father, inspired by his T u s c a n h e r i t a g e , p l a n t e d Sangiovese when few others in the area had. "He planted S a n g i o v e s e i n 1 9 9 2 w h e n almost nobody in this area h a d d o n e i t . U n t i i s m y g r a n d f a t h e r ' s n a m e f r o m Tuscany, outside of Lucca. My dad had been trying a b u n c h o f c o n t e m p o r a r y , small-produced Chiantis and Brunello, and he was coming back from Italy in the '80s saying: I cannot believe how great Sangiovese from Chi- anti is." And continued: "He accidentally got his grapes responsible for the Chianti of Montalcino and he started the Sangiovese production. We learned by visiting the producers and understood h o w t o m a n a g e e a c h e l e - ment. If you treat the Italian varieties we all love with the same type of diligence used t o g r o w P i n o t N o i r a n d Cabernet, our climate will do the rest. The reason every- one is here today is because these panelists have been promoting the virtues of the I t a l i a n w i n e s , e s p e c i a l l y from Southern Italy, long before most people in this room knew about it. When I f i r s t w e n t t o A 1 6 , I w a s amazed by the selection of Italian wines from Sicily. My love of Fiano is because of that. All of us have been able to see the quality evolution, given that every single Ital- ian region produces great wines. We as producers now have the opportunity to go to a restaurant here and taste wines from Italy and all the r e g i o n s , a l o n g s i d e g r e a t foods." M r . S a w y e r g a v e s o m e additional insights on the a r e a w h e r e S a n g i o v e s e i s grown: "Montalcino is the m o s t d y n a m i c p l a c e o n Earth, and it's because of the fortress on the hill. It was the most defensive place in Italy because you could not penetrate that fortress. The vineyards were all around it. And that affects where the sun hits and when, which d i r e c t i o n i t c o m e s f r o m , where the wind blows from… and that's why local Brunel- los taste different." B e r n i e O r s i w a s t h e man of the day, presenting their wine called Schiop- petino: "This is a fascinat- ing wine because of the ori- g i n o f t h e g r a p e s . Schioppetino comes from Friuli Venezia Giulia. The s t o r y g o e s b a c k t o a g u y named Marcello who plant- e d a c o u p l e o f g r a p e s i n Santa Rosa and, for years, he used to make wine for him- self, without selling it. This other guy, John, stopped by and decided to start making his own wine called Oscuro. When I tried it, it was just amazing. Years later, when Marcello renovated part of its vineyards, I had a couple of cuttings and now we grow it ourselves. When I taste it every year, the consistency is amazing. The only problem, one scholar told me, is that n o b o d y i s g o i n g t o b u y something they cannot pro- nounce! And it became a bit o f a p r o b l e m , t h i s i s w h y now we are also teaching people how to pronounce it." Shelley Lindgren is a master both in the restau- r a n t a n d w i n e b u s i n e s s : "When I first opened A16 twenty years ago, I thought it'd be all Italian grapes from California. I found some- thing I didn't know, which was that it was hard to have wines from all over Italy. There are regions like Puglia where it's hard to find the quality I am looking for. I need to taste many of those wines before I find what I want. I started making our wine during COVID; when the industry went flat, we s t a r t e d p r e p a r i n g f o r t h e f u t u r e , a n d w e a r e n o w training the young genera- tion about the industry. Christopher Sawyer con- cluded the panel by empha- sizing the symbiotic rela- tionship between food and wine. He noted that the wine business has become suc- cessful thanks to the food industry. "If we can match t h e d i v e r s i t y o f f o o d a n d styles with wine, that gives the opportunity for the wine t o b l o s s o m , " h e s a i d . H e added that many of these exceptional wines are not the expensive ones; accessi- ble wines are meant to be enjoyed with a meal. The day was all about the idea that great wine is not just about a high price tag, but about passion, heritage, and the perfect pairing with good food and good company. SERENA PERFETTO 2025 Festa Italia in Healdsburg, a taste of Italy in the heart of California Wine Country A bottle of Sangiovese from the Orsi family vineyards (Photo: Serena Perfetto) SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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