A beautiful vineyard covered the valley beneath Benjamino Cribari’s village and he asked the vineyard owner for permission to pick just enough grapes to make a few gallons of wine for family and friends.

The wine turned out to be delicious and everyone asked for more. When Benjamino’s “hobby” began to take more time than running his small farm, he began to think about selling his livestock and planting some vineyards of his own.

Fate intervened when several family members decided to leave their little village and emigrate to America. My great grandfather was one of those who made the long journey.

He settled in the Santa Clara Valley because he liked the warm climate and the rich, fertile soil. As a hired hand he saved every penny, and eventually made enough money to buy a few acres of land. His life-long dream came true when he planted vineyards on the land and started to make wine with his own grapes.

From these early days until the present, each generation of our family has been eager to follow in my great grandfathers footsteps. The special care he took with each bottle of wine was his legacy to us.