Where To Buy Castello Di Amorosa Wine [PATCHED]
Nearly twenty years ago, I purchased the spectacular property upon which I built Castello di Amorosa. It sat on a hundred-seventy beautiful acres of forest and hills with a stream, a lake, one of the first houses built in Napa County and a great Victorian home where I chose to live. It was my dream property, culminating a search of many years. The purchase also came with a great building permit for a large winery building which had taken the previous owner thirteen years to obtain.At first, I had no intention of starting another winery- I already had V.Sattui. My plan was only to replant historic vineyards there. However, throughout my adult life, I had been fascinated with Italian medieval architecture; and, because of my passion- some would say obsession- I had already bought a handful of ancient properties in Italy, including a small castle near Florence (now sold), a medieval monastery near Siena (now being refurbished) and a Medici palace in southern Tuscany, which we are remodeling into a period hotel. You get the picture- it's an incurable malady.I was naive enough to think I was ready to begin. My plan was to incorporate all the ideas and details that I had assembled from my first trip to Italy in 1965 in my 8,500 square-foot winery. I would create a fantasy, a maze where every room and space opened into a new and different adventure as one traveled throughout the building. I would include all the elements of a true medieval castle- a moat and drawbridge, high walls and towers on a hillside, a great hall, courtyards and loggias, an apartment for the nobles, a big kitchen, an outdoor brick oven for baking bread, a church, a horse stables, secret passage ways and, of course, a prison and torture chamber.
where to buy castello di amorosa wine
Wine education classes for novices, folks early in their wine education journey or people looking for an icebreaker/fun activity before a meal or workshop. 75 - 90 minute classes where couples or groups of will learn a few key concepts about wine in a warm, not-intimidating small group setting (e.g. their home or other space).
The masonry, ironwork, and woodwork were fashioned by hand using old world crafting techniques. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles, and 850,000 bricks imported from Europe.[1][13][14] Extending into the hillside adjacent to the castle is a labyrinth of caves some 900 feet (270 m) in length. Beneath the castle are a 2-acre (8,100 m2) barrel cellar and tasting rooms where visitors can sample the wines, all sold only at the Castle or through the winery's wine club.
From chapel, to great room, to armory, torture chamber and labyrinthine system of barrel rooms, this castle is an exquisite replica of a 13th century Tuscan castle. My 8 and 10 years old daughters, as well as my husband and I, were entranced by our tour and our entire experience. The girls enjoyed the peacocks, sheep, hens and other animals that live on the castle grounds. We also learned about the wine-making process and were led through the fermentation rooms and barrel rooms. We enjoyed wine from the barrel, as well as from the bottle in our private tasting area, where our daughters were served grape juice.
Located at the very center of the castle, the 13th-century Courtyard features hand-squared stone and antique brick walls, as well as Tuscan-style breezeways and loggias. The Courtyard, the heart of any Medieval palace, is perfect for special events: picturesque and stunning. In the daytime, it's lively, but in the evening, it transforms into a royal palace where guests may enjoy a special wine and cuisine combination in the open air. The Chapel is another fascinating space; in medieval times, it was usually one of the first buildings constructed and played a crucial role in any fortress. When it rains or is too cold outside, guests may typically congregate in the Chapel before venturing to see the rest of the castle.
Dario Sattui: What really got me going was taking trips to Italy, which began in 1975. I'd explore these gorgeous abandoned castles and farmhouses with a sketchpad, camera and a tape measure. I did many hundreds of hours of research on the architecture of castles never knowing I was going to build this building - I just loved this architecture. When I bought the land where the Castello now stands, I was just going to replant Colonel William Nash's (founder of Nashville, TN) old vineyard. Then I started thinking "Well I always loved medieval architecture, and I wanted to develop Italian-style wines. Why don't I build a little building that resembles a monastery in Italy, and a Medici hunting lodge as well?" I'm crazy. (laughs) XG: And then your plans just grew larger and larger and larger.
DS: All the bricks came from Austria, Italy and some from Romania. The light fixtures, nails, gates, and anything iron were all made by hand by a blacksmith as they would have back in the Middle Ages. The doors and roof tiles came from Italy. Most of the basalt stone came from the quarries of Napa Valley. You try scoring one of those - it would take you a couple hours if you didn't break it. Then there was an old winery in East Napa Valley bought by Seventh Day Adventists who don't drink wine so they sold it, and I bought it. It had been built by the Chinese in the 1870s. We incorporated it into the castle. Some of the window, door surrounds were all from this 19th Century Chinese winery, and that's where we got the softer sandstone. XG: Did anyone think you were crazy building a giant medieval castle like this?
Join our professional wine educator on an educational 60-minute guided tour through the castle, including the torture chamber, armory, and grand barrel room. The tour will end up in a private-to-the-group tasting bar where you will enjoy a tasting of five of our premium wines.
As the Pacific Northwest Wine Region continues to address winery wastewater concerns, the HSMBR system provides water reuse opportunities such as quality irrigation water for vineyards, recycled water for dust control, processing area wash-down water, or highly treated wastewater for disposal where untreated or poorly treated winery wastewater threatens vital habitats or groundwater resources. 041b061a72