A Taste of ‘La Vita Dolce’
By Maggie Caldwell
The magic happens in a state-of-the-art winemaking process that’s tucked behind historic redwood buildings built next to redwood forest and watery sounds of the Soquel Creek. This is where, for three generations, the Bargetto family has been turning grapes into wine — perfecting the technique, and sharing their award-winning results with the world. In addition to the winery, there’s a tasting room, gift shop, large patio overlooking the creek, and two special events rooms, so there’s room for everything from a quick wine tasting to a big wedding.
The Wines of Bargetto
Bargetto Winery produces three different lines in these historic cellars owned by the family for three generations and counting. The Bargetto label specializes in Santa Cruz Mountains’ wines and features a wide range of whites and reds, from Chardonnay and Viognier to Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. The Pinot Noirs are a specialty; soon there will be four different ones. If you visit their recently designed website, you’ll find complete information for each bottle you may be interested in trying, including vineyard source, fruit harvest date, type of barrel aging, bottling date, cases produced — AND they type of food each wine is best paired with.
Look for the cool eye-catching retro label on the bottles of their popular (and award-winning!) Merlot, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio wines. Because sparkling wine is extra popular around the holidays, “This is the first year we are making a Blanc de Blanc, from our estate chardonnay,” Loretta pointed out. She also points out Tuxedo Red, the newest Bargetto wine introduced to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the winery. “Tuxedo is the cat,” she explained. His coloring makes him look as if he’s wearing a tuxedo – appropriate attire for an anniversary bottle!
The next line is Chaucer’s, a collection of fruit wines whose labels bring to mind the Medieval England of “The Canterbury Tales.” Flavors include blackberry, pomegranate, raspberry, apricot, and blackberry. “Each Chaucer’s wine is made from pure fruit, and we source it as locally as possible,” said Loretta.
Mead, a honey-based wine, is also part of the Chaucer’s line. “Mead is becoming really popular,” explains Loretta. “It’s because of the new popularity of craft beers, and all the craft breweries around. You mix mead with beer and get a drink called ‘braggot.’”
Finally, there’s the award-winning La Vita, Bargetto’s the most premium red, introduced in 1997. “It’s made from a blend of Italian varietals grown in our estate vineyard,” said Loretta. And the bottle is as premium as the wine itself; La Vita celebrates life of wine and art. “We make a new label each year from a work of art that involves wine,” says Loretta. “We have a good time choosing the artwork each year!” La Vita is all about giving back to the life if the community. “Part of the proceeds from each bottle of La Vita is earmarked for donation to a nonprofit organization. We have a big unveiling party each year, and deliver a check to the nonprofit we selected the previous year.”
Shop in the Bargetto Gift Shop
There are a myriad of places to purchase Bargetto wines in town as well as on their website, but for a real treat stop in and browse the selection at the Bargetto Winery Gift Shop. They also carry wide selection of wine and food related accessories and gifts; for example, you can find necessities like bottle openers, wine skins for safe traveling with your bottles, and locally made olive oils and vinegars. Browse the lovely pewter bottle stoppers and cheese knives, or the popular cutting boards made from wine barrels are popular. You can even find whimsical wine bottle display racks and wine cork holders shaped like wine barrels or bottles — both thoughtful gifts.
Now you can even create a customized label for Bargetto Wine. “It’s become a popular fundraiser for non-profit groups,” says Loretta. “People create labels for all sorts of events, though — anniversaries, family reunions, and weddings are some popular ones.” Custom labels are available for the California pinot grigio, Central Coast merlot, Chaucer’s mead, and the brut sparkling wine. Visit their website or stop in the gift shop to start creating your custom wine bottle.
Upcoming Events
There’s something going on at Bargetto Winery all year round. Coming up on Saturday, November 15 is Santa Cruz Mountains Passport Day. Bargetto is one of the 30+ wineries participating this year, and you can call them for ticket information. Then Saturday, December 6 is the date of this year’s annual Art In The Cellars event. “That’s a really fun festival,” says Loretta. “The cellar is transformed into a winter wonderland, and we have music and serve hot spiced mead.” It’s a great event and a perfect place to start on your holiday gift shopping.
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The historic Bargetto Winery Tasting Room and Gift Shop is located at 3535 N. Main Street in Soquel. They are open daily from Noon – 5:00PM. Tours are by appointment only; call 831-475-2258 ext. 14 to make a reservation. To talk about booking your special event at the winery, call 831-475-2258 ext. 11 or email [email protected]. Visit their newly designed website at www.bargetto.com for more information, including more on the history of the winery as well as recipes.