Castello di Amorosa

Ridesharing Castello Style

Ridesharing: Castello Style

Dario Sattui (with the Cal Bears football helmet) and his team are serious about ridesharing. His Citroen 2CV which was originally designed to hold 2 farmers and haul 50 kilos of potatoes at 30 mph has been selected as the rideshare vehicle of choice for his enthusiastic employees.

 

CASTELLO DI AMOROSA OFFERS RIDE-SHARING FOR EMPLOYEES

Biggest program in Napa Valley

 

 

Frustrated with traffic in the Napa Valley? Wondering if any wineries are doing anything about it? Castello di Amorosa launched a ride sharing program in August and has seen the program succeed beyond expectations. The castle wishes to be part of the solution.

 

Approximately 30 castle employees have taken advantage of this program and are carpooling, cycling, walking or taking the bus to work.  In this program drivers and passengers are incentivized with cash payments by the winery of $5 per round trip per passenger if there is less than a 15 mile commute and $10 per round trip per passenger for distances greater than 15 miles.  The winery is proud to be reducing traffic generated by its employees on Napa County roads.

 

“We are delighted to be doing our part in cutting down on traffic and pollution,” says winery founder Dario Sattui. “We may be the only winery offering a financial incentive to our employees to ride to work together,” he continued. “We see this program growing at a great pace in the near future, and we’re honored to be a leader in our community to make this a worthwhile project both for our employees, local citizens and ‘Mother Nature,’” he added.

 

Napa County has studied local traffic patterns over the last several years and, in broad terms, has determined that most of the traffic is caused by people who work here but live somewhere else.  “There are many factors---such as the lack of affordable housing---which cause the traffic which we all are noticing,” Sattui adds. “If other wineries follow our lead and incentivize their employees to share their rides and take public transportation, we may be able to see a difference in a relatively short period of time,” he continues.

 

In the County’s study (http://www.nvta.ca.gov/travel-behavior-study), tourists accounted for only 21% of the County’s traffic. The study estimated that 9% of all traffic is just passing through the County.

Castello di Amorosa will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2017. Building the winery was a fifteen year labor of love for Dario Sattui.  The authentically built castle/winery used European artisans and materials such as antique bricks and roof tiles, hand-hewn timbers and doors, hand-forged iron gates, lamps and hardware and medieval construction techniques and over 8,000 tons of hand-chiseled local stone create this architectural gem. 

 

The winery itself is a modern contrast to the castle. It contains the most advanced crushing and fermentation facilities, four underground levels and 24,000 square feet of caves for barrel aging.

 

Castello di Amorosa owns a total of 83 acres of estate vineyards in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.   It sells its entire production of wine exclusively at the winery.

 

Castello di Amorosa is open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. March-October and 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. November-February. Guests can come only to taste or can take a guided tour followed by tasting.  Reservations---for tours only---are recommended.

The Castello is profiled in The Sacramento Bee

Our thanks to writer Allen Pierleoni and photographer Manny Crisostomo from the Sacramento Bee for a vivid ‘portrait’ of the Castle.

Lupo Goes To Europe

LUPO GOES TO EUROPE

 

            My long-haired German Shepard Lupo is famous for being the Castle winery dog.  Whenever I am at the Castle, Lupo, my best friend, is there at my side.  He has become popular and well known to our customers.  He has even become somewhat famous gracing the cover or interior of several winery dog books.  And yes, his name means ‘wolf’ in Italian.

            As I ease into semi-retirement, I travel to Italy for more prolonged periods to stay at my monastery, now finally refurbished after 3 years and 6 months of restoration.  For years I had made promises to myself to bring Lupo to Europe with me, as he and I suffer greatly when we are apart for extended periods.  For weeks after I would depart he would go to the Castle searching for me, hanging out at my car, not eating---hoping I would arrive. Hearing this always saddened me.

            This past April, I decided to go to Europe for 12 weeks.  I just had to bring Lupo irrespective of cost or trouble.  It wasn’t easy.  Many airlines didn’t want dogs at all.  Others would only take smaller dogs.  Lupo weighs 122 pounds.  Other airlines that would take a large dog didn’t fly where I wanted to go.  I kept hearing no at every turn.  Finally, I found an agency that could do it for about $4,000.  As a last resort I was willing to pay the money, but I kept researching until a godsend happened.  That godsend was LUFTHANSA.  They agreed to take him and even walk and water him in Frankfurt, the stopover.  And the cost was only $400 each way plus the cage.  Not only does Lufthansa give great service to passengers, they really treat animals well. 

            But still I wasn’t sure.  Friends said 11 year old Lupo might die on the long, 15 hour flight and layover.  Others said he would suffer greatly, and I shouldn’t do it.  Then there was all the paperwork with the vet, the state of California, the vaccinations, etc. But the vet assured me it could be done safely.  And since Lupo sleeps most of the time anyway, could lie down, stand up and turn around in his cage (also equipped with lots of water) I decided to do it.  I wish I could lie down on a flight.

            I had to fly to Rome instead of my usual destination, Florence, as a bigger plane was needed, but it worked.  Upon disembarking in Rome, I nervously looked for Lupo.  As soon as he saw me he howled with delight.  I promptly let him out of his cage, and he did an extraordinary thing.  He christened Leonardo Di Vinci Airport by pooping in 5 different spots on the polished marble floors – which I had to clean up, but Lupo was healthy and happy, and we happily drove off to the monastery.

            In Europe, I took Lupo everywhere with me, traveling through much of Italy, Germany and Austria.  We hung out together every day, and he slept near me at night. I used to allow him to sleep in bed with me sometimes when he was younger and smaller. He was allowed into all restaurants and hotels with me. Nobody refused him. He was even offered meat and bones at restaurants. Europeans have a different mentality about animals.  He was a good---and pampered---watchdog at the monastery as well.

Lupo and I had a great time together.  He is one of the most well traveled dogs I know.  I do wish he had studied Italian harder to communicate with that country’s dogs better.  And thankfully he didn’t soil the San Francisco airport on our return, probably out of respect for American soil.  I vow now that every time I go to Europe for a month or more my best friend Lupo will be with me.

Capture the Castle Video Contest: Video of the Week

Castello di Amorosa's "Capture the Flavor" video contest on our Facebook page is in full swing.  One of the recent entries can be viewed by clicking:

http://youtu.be/JhziZB_bwU4