Three Generations, Four Decades, Five Ranches
Caterina and Vittorio Trione didn’t plan to inspire decades of winemaking when they immigrated to California from the Piedmont area of Italy. Instead, they started a bakery in Fortuna and made wine in their basement for their personal use. It was the Prohibition era, and regulations allowed making wine for household use if it wasn’t offered for sale.
It seems that winemaking runs in the family. Caterina and Vittorio’s son, the late Henry F. Trione, was a first-generation American and self-made man who became one of Sonoma County’s lions of the financial industry before making his name in the wine world with Trione Vineyards and Winery. He passed away just a few years ago, but the Trione family continues his legacy, and the winery is still 100 percent family owned.
Henry’s sons Mark and Victor are President and Vice-President, respectively, granddaughter Denise manages the winery, grandson Henry heads up the winery sales, and Denise’s husband Kris is the vineyard manager. According to Grandson Henry, Winemaker Scot Covington “might as well be family,” since he’s been making wine with them since the family established Trione Vineyards and Winery in 2005.
The family owns and cultivates over 650 vineyard acres on five ranches in Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, and Sonoma Coast. Yet, they select just three percent of the fruit produced from their vineyards and craft small lots that express the highest level of quality for each variety. The five ranches noted in the winery’s tagline refer to the River Road Ranch, Flatridge Ranch, Geyserville Ranch, Cloverdale Ranch, and Home Ranch.
The River Road Ranch in the Russian River Valley has well-drained soils that are perfect for growing world-class Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. The Flatridge Ranch, which sits at an elevation of 1,100 feet in the Sonoma Coast AVA, is where the family grows fruit for their Zinfandel.
Three of the ranches are in Alexander Valley: Geyserville Ranch is where the grapes for the family’s Merlot, Zinfandel, and Primitivo wines are grown, and the Cloverdale Ranch sits along the western flank of the Mayacamas Mountains with its vineyards of Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
It’s the Home Ranch in Alexander Valley that is the public face of Trione Vineyards and Winery. It houses the winery and the Old Stone Building, which was restored from its original state in 1908. It now serves as the winery’s venue for both casual and formal food and wine events, from intimate picnics to large-scale weddings.
The winery offers wine tastings with farm-to-table picnic-style lunches set amongst the Alexander Valley vineyards or around the winery’s onsite bocce ball court. Its picturesque location among the vineyards combined with the rustic elegance of the Old Stone Building makes it a highly sought-after wedding location. The beautifully landscaped grounds and a rustic wooden arch provide a dreamy backdrop for a chic outdoor vineyard wedding, and the spectacular Douglas Fir wood beams strung with lights over adorned tables create an ideal indoor setting for a wedding celebration or reception.
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Article By: Layne Randolph
