Our History
Santino Winery
Nestled amidst the scenic beauty of the Sierra Foothills of California, Santino Winery stands as a tribute to classic Italian/American winemaking. From the delicate freshness of the Pinot Grigio to the bold earthiness of the rich red Zinfandels, the wines of Santino have long been recognized as some of the finest that Amador County and California have to offer. Considered one of California’s quintessential wineries, Santino focuses is on quality wines from the Sierra Foothills.Founded in 1979 by Matt Santino with the help of wine consultant Cary Gott, the early Santino wines captured the essence of the Terroir of Amador County. During the early days Santino was heralded for its big bold Zinfandels from some of the oldest vineyards in California. Winning numerous awards for its Zinfandels and Barbera, Santino became a cult favorite. Matt Santino left the wine business and absentee management of the winery occurred in the late 80’s. Production remained small and many great winemakers honed their skills making wines for the Santino label.
In 1994 Boston wine lover and visionary Robert Smerling fell in love with Santino wines and decided to buy the place. His goals were clear, to preserve the ancient vines of the Shenandoah Valley and produce award winning wines, putting Amador on the world wine scene. New vineyards were planted with clones of Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Muscat Canelli, all classic Italian varietals. Each vineyard is small with low yields giving intense flavors. All the fruit is hand picked and arrives at the winery in small picking bins within an hour of picking. Winemaker Dave Crippen believes these old vine, dry farmed zinfandel vineyards make Santino exceptional wines. Grapes are fermented in small lots and aged in oak barrels. Production has grown from 10,000 cases to 30,000 cases.
Santino Wines has been producing Amador Old Vine Zinfandels from Fiddletown for the past 25 years. The legendary Barbera is grown in the Estate vineyard, along with the Nebbiolo. New additions include Primitivo, Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Syrah and Viognier. This year old is new with the return of Muscat Canelli to the portfolio. After much demand our new vineyards will produce this classic Italian dessert wine.