It has been a rainy start to the spring here in the Russian River Valley, but that has not darkened our days or dampened our spirits one bit. In fact, it feels like we have been doing nothing but celebrating so many great moments as a small family wine business in 2023. The kids continue to amaze us all the time–most recently, Ariya produced an early concept sketch of a robot winemaker–“So you can make even more wine, Daddy.” Soren has started grabbing every bottle in the house and declaring quite aggressively, “MY WINE!” So, we are working on sharing. We also had a chance to escape the rain in exchange for snow during a wonderful trip as a family out to Idaho. Daddy had some work, Mama and the kiddos had some adventures, and we all got to play a little dress up for a fun wine party with friends. It goes without saying that Baby Elvis was a big hit, and our little Dancing Queen decimated the dance floor.
Back home, the launch of the FESTA wines has been more successful than we could have imagined–especially in just one month’s time. The reception these wines have received from our fans and partners has left us feeling so grateful that we could create something so meaningful and tasty all at the same time. Thank you all who have shared these bottles with us.
The rest of the wines from the 2022 vintage are maturing beautifully in barrel, waiting patiently to be bottled in July. There will be three more wines from last year’s harvest–a Syrah from the Russian River Valley, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blend from Sonoma County, and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County. These wines will not be available until Fall 2024, but they will be well worth the wait.
In other news, we have begun a relatively busy time with engagements and events. We kicked things off with a wonderful virtual experience with our friends from Cellar Angels back on March 10th. If you missed it, don’t worry–the internet has got your back. Chris appeared with host and co-founder Martin Cody to talk all things Puppione Family Wines while enjoying a taste of our 2021 VOLTA Cuvée. Check it out below.
Out of the virtual and into the real…we have a schedule of upcoming events we want to share with all of you. It would be great to see you faithful folks, so try and come out if you can for any of these listed below. Of special and immediate note would be the tasting coming up this Friday, March 31 at K&L Wine Merchants in San Francisco. We will be offering all who come for the tasting a sneak peek at our Fall 2023 release wines–the 2021 INTERO Syrah and the 2021 MAGARI Cuvée. These two wines grabbed scores of 94 points and 92 points respectively from Wine Enthusiast earlier this year, so come get an early taste and see what all the fuss is about.
Friday, March 31 – Meet the Winemaker: Chris Puppione of Puppione Family Wines
K&L Wine Merchants – 855 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA – 4:00-6:00pm
We will be tasting guests through the following flight of wines:
o 2022 Puppione “FESTA Bianco” Sierra Foothills Friulano
o 2022 Puppione “FESTA Rosso” California Red Blend
o 2021 Puppione “VOLTA” California Rhône Blend
o 2021 Puppione “INTERO” Don Miguel Vineyard Russian River Valley Syrah SNEAK PEEK!
o 2021 Puppione “MAGARI” Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah Blend SNEAK PEEK!
Event and ticket information can be found [here].
Saturday, April 29 – Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure
Sonoma Veterans’ Memorial Hall – 126 1st Street W, Sonoma CA – 1:00-5:00pm
At this intimate event, you will discover and taste amazing, cutting edge wines from over 40 high-quality, micro-production, commercial wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, and more.
Event and ticket information can be found [here].
Saturday, May 20 – Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience: Grand Tasting Experience
Healdsburg Plaza – Healdsburg, CA – 12:30-4:30pm
Our Vintners Plaza Grand Tasting is the highlight of the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience! Experience wines from over 100 of the finest producers from Sonoma, Napa, and internationally renowned regions. Local and international chefs will prepare extraordinary bites with Sonoma’s seasonal agricultural bounty. Enjoy live music as you mix and mingle with some of your favorite makers throughout the day!
Event and ticket information can be found [here].
Saturday, June 17 – Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure Los Angeles
Glendale Civic Auditorium – 1401 N Verdugo Road Glendale, CA
The Garagiste Urban Exposure Festival is a unique chance to taste with over 60 ultra-premium, under-the radar micro-wineries from all over California including Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sierra Foothills and Mendocino AVAs all under one roof. Over 70% of these wineries do not have tasting rooms and can’t be found on “wine country” maps!
Event and ticket information can be found [here].
As always, we send our gratitude out to all of you who have become a part of our family tradition. We love receiving your messages about how much you have enjoyed the wines, and it is just as fun to see your pictures. The fact that you choose our bottles to accompany so many different moments is all love–and we thank you. So keep ’em coming, and we will keep making these wines that chronicle our journey as a family.
C’ent Anni!
P.S. We are not open to debating if funner is a proper word because it just feels good to say.