The Winemakers: Stefania and Paul Romero

Our story started when we both got laid off in the dot-com bust. Paul's Mom offered good advice. “I always wished … I had enjoyed the time off more and done something I really wanted to."

So Stefania contacted UC Davis, Paul ordered 50 Syrah and Grenache plants from a nursery, and we started learning how to grow grapes and make wine.

While carefully tending our first plants, to make sure we could at least keep a grape vine alive in our San Jose backyard, we watched videos in distant learning program and learned all we could. We went from 50 plants to acres faster than we could have dreamed, and by 2005, we switched from home winemaking to commercial winemaking.

Wine has always been part of both of our lives. Paul's dad used to trade haircuts at his Barber shop in San Jose for wine from the old Almaden Vineyards. He tells stories of delivering wine from Ridge Vineyards to local restaurants in the 70's. He got to keep one bottle for every case he dropped off.

Stefania's dad traveled the world as a colonel in the U.S. Army and ended up in Chile in the 1970's. In addition to advising the Chileans on airstrip building and ammunition manufacturing, the US Embassy asked him to organize wine events for the Chilean winemakers in an effort to encourage them to make wine for the U.S. market. As a little girl, Stefania would travel with him around the country on these trips.

We’ve come a long way since the first bottle of Australian Grenache we shared at a small get-together with friends. Last year, we bottled 650 cases of wine under our own label.

Anne and Jerry Anderson share the same dedication we have to the vine, and we are thrilled to expand our operation to include managing Chaine d’Or Vineyard. We look forward to continuing their tradition of delivering great wines!