Picchetti Brothers Winery
Encyclopedia
The Picchetti Brothers Winery, also known as the Picchetti Ranch, is a winery
located at 13100 Montebello Rd., Cupertino, California
in the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve. The Picchetti bothers, Secondo and Vincenzo, for whom the ranch was named, were among the earliest settlers to plant grape
s on this ridge, which they named "Monte Bello" or "beautiful mountain." This ridge was later to become one of Santa Clara County
's important vineyard areas.
The complex is composed of seven buildings built between 1880 and 1920, which retain their original design details.
Vincenzo and Secondo Picchetti settled on Montebello ridge in 1877 and purchased an initial 160 acres (64.7 ha) for $1,500. The ranch expanded to 500 acres (202.3 ha) by 1904. The first house on the property was built around 1882, followed by a larger residence in 1886. Both homes, plus the stone winery, were in the Picchetti family until 1976.
The first grapes planted were Zinfandel
, Carignane
and Petite Sirah. At first, the brothers only sold the grapes to local wineries, but in 1896 they decided to make their own wine, becoming one of the early wineries in California (California Bonded Winery number 148).
Instrumental in establishing the Montebello School in 1892, Vincenzo served on the first school board and supplied a room for a teacher at his ranch. Vineyards were the life blood of the town of Cupertino's early economy, although grape parasites destroyed many of the vines in the region in the 1890s.
Upon Vincenzo's death in 1904, sons Antone and John ran the winery and ranch. The front porch of the main house was once screened in and acted as an aviary
. Later John had numerous aviaries built - one of those aviaries still stands in front of the homestead house.
Commercial wine production ceased in 1963 due to a lack of profitability, and much of the land was sold to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
. The Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission provided funding for the restoration of the winery building. The land produced wine from 1982 to 1998 as Sunrise Winery. In 1998, Leslie Pantling took over the winery and production has resumed to the tune of about 9,000 cases per year under the "Leslie's Estate" label.
Today the Picchetti ranch and winery on Montebello Road remain as evidence of a thriving viticulture
industry in early Cupertino.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
located at 13100 Montebello Rd., Cupertino, California
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
in the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve. The Picchetti bothers, Secondo and Vincenzo, for whom the ranch was named, were among the earliest settlers to plant grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s on this ridge, which they named "Monte Bello" or "beautiful mountain." This ridge was later to become one of Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
's important vineyard areas.
The complex is composed of seven buildings built between 1880 and 1920, which retain their original design details.
Vincenzo and Secondo Picchetti settled on Montebello ridge in 1877 and purchased an initial 160 acres (64.7 ha) for $1,500. The ranch expanded to 500 acres (202.3 ha) by 1904. The first house on the property was built around 1882, followed by a larger residence in 1886. Both homes, plus the stone winery, were in the Picchetti family until 1976.
The first grapes planted were Zinfandel
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia , where it was introduced in the 18th century...
, Carignane
Carignane
Carignan is a red wine grape that may have originated in Cariñena, Aragon and was later transplanted to Sardinia, elsewhere in Italy, France, Algeria, and much of the New World. Along with Aramon, it was once considered one of the main grapes responsible for France's wine lake. In California, the...
and Petite Sirah. At first, the brothers only sold the grapes to local wineries, but in 1896 they decided to make their own wine, becoming one of the early wineries in California (California Bonded Winery number 148).
Instrumental in establishing the Montebello School in 1892, Vincenzo served on the first school board and supplied a room for a teacher at his ranch. Vineyards were the life blood of the town of Cupertino's early economy, although grape parasites destroyed many of the vines in the region in the 1890s.
Upon Vincenzo's death in 1904, sons Antone and John ran the winery and ranch. The front porch of the main house was once screened in and acted as an aviary
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
. Later John had numerous aviaries built - one of those aviaries still stands in front of the homestead house.
Commercial wine production ceased in 1963 due to a lack of profitability, and much of the land was sold to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is a special-purpose district that manages over of open space in 25 preserves in the San Francisco Bay Area. It includes parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties. The District was created by voter initiative in 1972...
. The Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission provided funding for the restoration of the winery building. The land produced wine from 1982 to 1998 as Sunrise Winery. In 1998, Leslie Pantling took over the winery and production has resumed to the tune of about 9,000 cases per year under the "Leslie's Estate" label.
Today the Picchetti ranch and winery on Montebello Road remain as evidence of a thriving viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
industry in early Cupertino.