Medieval times in California

Passing undulating rows of grapevines on either side of a steep driveway lined with cypress trees, the scene reminded me of a picture calendar I had seen of Tuscany, Italy. However, as I crested the hill, nothing I had ever seen before could match what I beheld atop this mountain.

I was suddenly taken back in time, across an ocean and to a marvelous, forgotten civilization. Yet, I was not in Northern Italy. I was in Napa Valley, California, and the castle in front of me was Castello di Amorosa, a medieval castle-winery completed in 2007.

I used the castle lord’s name to gain access into the fortress and was soon waiting outside the Hall of the Knights. A nail-studded door creaked open and a friendly giant of a man greeted me. “You came all the way from Pennsylvania? Well, thank you for coming!” he said with his deep voice.
Winemaker Daryl Sattui

Never having met a winemaker millionaire before, I was curious to see what kind of man Daryl Sattui was. “Take a seat. Have some fresh figs.” His open manner and frank unpretentiousness were reassuring. It was evident he was a man that lived for more than just money. He is the type of man who lives to honor and share the traditions from a worthy past.

A Dream Come True and Then Lost

Mr. Sattui’s great-grandfather was born in Genoa, Italy, the same city as Christopher Columbus. Vittorio Sattui was a baker who came to America in 1882 and plied his trade in San Francisco.

In his spare time, he engaged in his real passion of winemaking. Between Vittorio’s baking and his wife Kattarina’s washing, the enterprising couple saved enough to start a boarding house in an Italian section of town.

Only three years after his arrival in California, Vittorio’s wines gained such a reputation that he decided to quit baking and dedicate himself entirely to winemaking. He picked his grapes from St. Helena, a small town in Napa Valley just north of San Francisco, and ferried them down the bay to his winery in San Francisco.

The thriving V. Sattui Wine Company delivered its wines directly to patrons’ homes in the Bay Area by horse-drawn wagon and even gained customers in Oregon and Washington State.

An artificial governmental experiment dealt a blow to Vittorio’s family business from which it would not recover. Mr. Sattui laments, “In 1920 came Prohibition and he was forced to shut down. As a child, I hoped my family would reopen the winery, so I could learn how to do it and then someday take it over. They never reopened. Finally, I had to do it on my own.”

Reviving the Family Business

Having inherited a great appreciation for wine, but not the practical knowledge of making it, Mr. Sattui set out on a quest to reclaim what Prohibition had stolen.

In the seventies, he traveled around Europe for two years, where he got ideas for his business. When he returned, he apprenticed at different Napa Valley wineries to learn the trade.

After gaining some experience and honing his skills, Mr. Sattui drafted a business plan and searched for investors. He found a four-acre property with an old house and a walnut orchard, and was able to get a $500-a-month lease. The house was in such a bad condition that he had to live in his Volkswagen van for a month before he could move in.

Time passed and no investors were willing to take the risk. He paid one last month on the lease, and it looked as though his dream was slipping from his grasp.

At the last minute, however, he was able to convince a real estate broker to buy the property and fund building a winery on it. Mr. Sattui arranged with the broker to lease with the option of buying. The winery was named “V. Sattui Winery” to honor his great-grandfather.

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