2013 Harvest Fair selects the Sangiacomo Family for the Lifetime Contribution to the Sonoma County Wine Industry Award

Released by the Sonoma County Fair

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – August 21, 2013 – Many small California wineries have been lost to corporations during tough economic times these past few years.  But one exceptional family, the Sangiacomo clan, has managed to survive and will continue the tradition of passing down grape growing skills to the next generation. Since 1969, and for three generations, the Sangiacomo family has consistently produced some of the top growing fruit in Sonoma County.

The multi-generational family run vineyard is known for its detailed, custom viticultural practices and its dedication to growing world-class grapes. Sangiacomo Family Vineyards farms 1,600 acres of vineyards in the Carneros, Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Coast regions.

After emigrating from Genoa, Italy, to California in 1927, Vittorio and Maria Sangiacomo purchased the original 120-acre Home Ranch property, located south of the town of Sonoma. They developed a reputation for growing premium pears, apples and prunes, and in 1969, the family took a leap of faith and planted its first vineyard. The Sangiacomo children, Angelo and Diane, Buck and Sue, Bob, and Lorraine, expanded the families grape growing program and produce some of the county’s highest quality grapes. Today, the third generation is running Sangiacomo Family Vineyards (SFV) -  Michael and his wife, Whitney; Steve and his wife, Connie, and Mia and her husband, Mike Pucci.

The first winery to bottle a vineyard-designated Sangiacomo wine was Sonoma's Gundlach Bundschu, in 1979; Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa Valley followed in 1981. Now, 76 producers purchase fruit from the family, bottling 33 vineyard-designated wines.

There are many reasons for the family’s success and longevity.  First is their diversity of soils and microclimates, as well as the proper pairing of rootstocks to clones in each block, which allow some wineries to work with distinctive flavor profiles, while others prefer to source fruit from multiple blocks and create a consistent core of complex flavors from vintage to vintage. As an extra perk, the family is flexible in custom-farming each block to meet the needs of individual clients.

The family has also developed its own Vine Ecology program focused on weather, soil, light exposure and implementation of new viticultural practices, designed to improve fruit quality and show environmental responsibility. The family also invests much of its time in experimentation to create rootstock combinations and tests everything, including close spacing, advanced trellis systems, soil amendments, deficit irrigation and cover crops to produce their exceptional fruit.

Water conservation has become an important part of their growing program. During the past 20 years, the Sangiacomos have significantly reduced the amount of water they use by incorporating science instruments, such as pressure bombs, in the vineyard to determine when and how much to irrigate.

Another SFV focus is sustainable farming. Through the decades, practices have changed from straight cultivation to planting cover crops (including vetch, rye, legumes) in each row or every other row that help build up the natural nutrient levels in the soils. Other sustainable techniques include the use of owl boxes and raptor perches to control rodents; planting trees to host beneficial insects; reducing the use of pesticides; using more natural composts, and controlling weeds with a Spedovator, an innovative machine which features a gentle stinger that retracts when it touches the vine.

"Every year we get more experience under the belt and we gain the benefits of research done in the fields," said Michael Sangiacomo, third generation partner, Sangiacomo Vineyards. "So I think we've been able to make better decisions regarding which particular varieties we are going to plant at each site and in doing everything we can to make the vines healthier and more productive of top-tier grapes." The family currently farms a few blocks organically, which are certified, to meet the needs of their clients.  The balance of the blocks and ranches are farmed sustainably and some are in the process of being certified.  

While the majority of the Sangiacomo property is located in Carneros, some of the family's most intriguing plantings are of pinot noir in the Sonoma Coast appellation.  After establishing some of their “newer” vineyards, the Sangiacomos shared the information they gathered about the soils, climates and history of the area with local growers to help make the planting easier, and show the potential of the region.

Innovation is another factor contributing to the Sangiacomo success. In the late 1980s, they were among the first grapegrowers to harvest at night, fabricating their own machine to cover four rows at a time. Today, the family uses more than 30 of these lighted harvesters to pick 60%-75% of the fruit at night.  Another innovation is the use of sorting tables in the vineyard at night to reduce the percentage of flawed fruit. After harvest, the clusters are placed in small sorting trays and inspected for stray leaves, small canes and individual clusters affected by Botrytis or sunburn.  

And finally, there is a commitment and respect to tradition. "Like our previous generations, we feel it is best not to chase the market, but to work with the grape varieties which have proved themselves when planted at the appropriate sites. We are so proud to be winegrowers in Sonoma County," said Steve Sangiacomo, third generation partner, Sangiacomo Vineyards. "Farming is what our family is all about. This award means a lot to us as we cannot imagine living or farming in a better place. We are thankful to be part of such a wonderful community.”

In 2009 the Sangiacomo Family was awarded the Viticulture Award of Excellence by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. The same year, the Sonoma County Harvest Fair honored Steve Sangiacomoas Outstanding Young Farmer. Michael Sangiacomo also received the same award in 2007.  This year, The Harvest Fair is pleased to honor the Sangiacomo Family with the Lifetime Contribution to the Sonoma County Wine Industry “Methuselah” Award. Initiated in 2011, the award recognizes a person, family, or company within the wine industry with outstanding contributions to the industry and Sonoma County.

The 2013 Sonoma County Harvest Fair will be October 4-6 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. For more information, visit www.harvestfair.org or call (707) 545-4203. You can also find "Sonoma County Harvest Fair" on Facebook.