Trip to Napa Valley/വീഞ്ഞിന്റെ നാട്ടിലേക്ക് ഒരു യാത്ര/Castello Di Amarosa/Slice of Italy/63
A very humble attempt to do a Travelog inspired by the history of Castello Di Amarosa, a 13th century Tuscan Castle winery in Calistoga, Napa Valley, California. Mr.Dario Sattui is the owner of this 3 Acre Castle and surrounding 171 acres (I apologize for the wrong information given in the video).
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The gorgeous Grand Medieval Hall is a wonder with the walls completely covered by authentic-looking Italian frescos. An expert in this style of painting was brought over from Italy to do all the work.
The Castle include 107 rooms on 8 levels above and below ground. Underneath the castle are rooms and rooms, caverns really, with thousands of barrels of wine in various stages of fermentation, 95 rooms are dedicated to wine.Wine flows through the walls in the castle as it is gravity fed from the tanks down to the barrels below.
The tasting takes place in an atmospheric cellar, with guests comfortably seated at a long bar.
The standard tasting program allows you to taste 5 different wines from a full page of options. Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese, Pinot, Barbera and more in the Reds; Chardonnay, Pinots Grigio and Blanco, and Gewürtztraminer in the Whites, and a collection of dessert and sparkling wines.
Grapes for sparkling wines are the first to be picked, usually in early August,
Late-harvest wines are made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual, allowing them to get riper and produce more highly concentrated sugars. Harvesting of these grapes can last until December.
It was almost afternoon when we decided to drive down to Napa from Pleasanton. This trip was not pre-planned but it was a beautiful day, so we decided on a get-away from home.
We started at around 11:30am on this sunny October day and drove down onI-680 N.
We stopped in Benicia Town, approximately 40 miles from Pleasanton, to have lunch. Benicia is a waterside city in Solano County, California. This town once stood as California’s state capitol, before it ultimately found its home in Sacramento.Unfortunately we did not have time to explore the town, so we decided to make that another trip for another day.
Our lunch spot in Benicia was a Burmese cuisine called Aung Maylika. A small restaurant serving incredible food! We ordered ango Tofu (stir fried Tofu with pure mango, basil and onions), Red Curry, Rice, and Noodles. After scarfing down the delicious food, we continued our journey to Napa Valley!
The drive from Benicia to Napa Valley was very beautiful with vineyards everywhere, gorgeous landscapes, and terrific weather. With so much natural beauty, it’s no surprise Napa Valley welcomes nearly 3 million visitors each year. Hit the road for an easy, inexpensive way to see the picture-perfect scenes of Napa Valley, all from your car window.
We drove past downtown Napa Valley.
Once a sleepy residential area, the town of Napa is now a luxury destination with celebrity-chef restaurants, upscale lodgings, and manicured parks.
We planned to stop at the downtown on the way back
Castello di Amorosa, meaning ‘Castle of Love’, is the realization and epitome of an all-consuming passion. Fourth generation winemaker Dario Sattui built this authentically styled 13th century Tuscan castle winery to honor his Italian heritage and deep love for medieval architecture. He created the perfect blend of passion, culture, and roots.
Mr.Sattui went to Italy and other places in Europe where he sketched out features in various castles. He then shipped actual stone from Italy to Napa to build the castle. You cannot build an old castle with new materials. The nails, lamp shades, chains are all handmade the way they would in 13th century.
It is very surprising to know that Sattui had only $5000 dollars to begin with and his mom gave him 2000
It is beyond our imagination to achieve this big dream. There is no words to describe the perseverance and patience of Dario Sattui who is the owner of the castle. He spent almost his lifetime planning, building and preserving this slice of Italy in California, USA.
We didn’t get a chance to take the tour, we will definitely come back soon to do the tour. We want to see the torture chamber, fermentation area with massive stainless steel tanks, few rooms where the entire walls are built of the bottled wine from the years before they started releasing, great room and what not!
Remembering the words of Mr.Sattui on the way black....
You do something you love, you put your heart and soul into it. You put everything you have into it, people will see it and it will come back to you.
First you have to have a dream.Set your goals high, if you really want something go after it and you will get it.
California dreamer, Mr.Sattui’s life is a perfect example of success through perseverance, patience and passion.Hats off to you Mr.Sattui.