Located just outside the small-but-mighty town of Geyserville (a few wineries, a couple of world-class restaurants, two mom-and-pop grocery stores and a handful of other businesses make up the “downtown” area – don’t blink or you’ll miss it!) is an oasis of Californian/Italian hospitality, just waiting for you to come explore, sip, savor and stay a while. Trentadue Winery is home to fabulous wines, gracious hospitality, gorgeous grounds and one of Sonoma County’s premiere event centers.

Trentadue Winery is family-owned. Leo and Evelyn Trentadue purchased the 208-acre ranch in the late 1950s and their son Victor and daughter Annette are involved on a daily basis, making sure their family business continues to thrive.

The tasting room is an Italianate villa, surrounded with beautiful landscaping and burbling fountains. The event center sits off to the side, surrounded by a hedge that encompasses redwood and oak tree shaded lawns.

There is a good selection of non-wine gift items (clothing, books, tapestries, lamps, sparkly jewelry, food items and more) displayed in tasteful groupings around the tasting room. There are two cushy chairs that invite relaxation, but you’ll want to hustle up to the spacious tasting bar and taste some wines. Trust me on this – the wines consistently win medals, and with good reason.

Let’s talk about the wines - I tasted several wines during my visit and really enjoyed everything I tasted. The following wines were my favorites:    

• 2008 La Storia Cuvee 32 ($28): La Storia is Trentadue Winery’s reserve label and the Cuvee 32 (Trentadue is Italian for the number 32) is their reserve Super Tuscan style wine. It is a delicious blend of estate grown Cabernet Franc, Montepulciano and Sangiovese. This huge, spicy wine is all about ripe plum, blackberry, cranberry and exotic spice, with a touch of vanilla.    

• 2009 La Storia Zinfandel ($28): this fantastic Zinfandel won a Best of Class at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (I was actually one of the wine judges, but that’s a story for another time). Ripe blackberry, blueberry, gingerbread spice, orange peel and pepper play nicely together from the first sniff, through the densely textured mouth, and on through the long finish. OMG!

Trentadue Winery is one of the first places to check out if you are planning a wedding or other special event. Their event center is fully equipped for any kind of event you could imagine and its commercial kitchen is a caterer’s dream.

Trentadue Winery, located at 19170 Geyserville Avenue, Geyserville is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m daily. For more information, call 888-332-3032 or visit their website at www.trentadue.com.