KICK-BUTT SELF-DEFENSE: Lori Hartman Gervasi, author

Grape vines
stretched for more
than 20,000 acres in
the Cucamonga-
Guasti area in 1919.
“We followed the foothills from east to
west and circled around south of the
airport. My only wish was for others to
have seen the view. If only I had a camera.”
Cucamonga Valley was officially
approved as an American Viticulture Area
in 1995 by the U.S. Department of
Treasury as a result of a petition written
and filed by myself on behalf of area
growers and vintners. This law enables
producers to use the words “Cucamonga
Valley” on the labels of bottles containing
not less than 75 percent of the volume of
wine derived from locally grown grapes.
Over the past 15 years, longtime
vintners have made significant investments
in cellar and vineyard revitalization —
namely Biane-Tibbetts/Rancho de Philo
Winery, J. Filippi Winery and Galleano
Winery. Newcomers include the Brandt
Family Winery and The Wine Tailor,
plus a cluster of home winemakers.
Today, local vintners are growing and
producing award-winning vintages.
“The advent of technology and sciencebacked
winemaking practices eroded away
the old-school approaches that were so
prevalent from the ’40s to the ’60s,” says
Jon McPherson, winemaster at South Coast
Winery in Temecula Valley.
Thomas Pinney, professor emeritus
of English at Pomona College, who wrote
“A History of Wine in America: From the
Beginnings to Prohibition” (1989) and
“From Prohibition to the Present”
(2005), references “Cucamonga” and its
important role.
“Curiously enough, Cucamonga old
vines Zinfandel now enjoys a prestige value
such as it never had before; but one
wonders how secure a tenure on life those
old vines can have,” Pinney wrote in 2005.
“The belated discovery of the outstanding
quality of Cucamonga Zinfandel, just as it
hovered on the verge of extinction, is one
of those bitter ironies of which all history
is full.”
Gino L. Filippi is a fourth-generation vintner
and wine writer. Contact him at
ginoffvine@aol.com.
Inland vintners
Brandt Family Winery Tasting Room
and Pacific Wine Merchants
Wine store, daily tasting, lounge
and cigar patio.
210 E. A St., Upland; 800-871-6077 or
909-946-6782; www.pacific-wine.com
and www.brandtwine.com
Galleano Winery & Tasting Room
Daily tasting, tours and gift shop.
Site is on the National Register of
Historic Places and California Register
of Historic Places.
4231 Wineville Road, Mira Loma;
951-685-5376, www.galleanowinery.com
J. Filippi Winery & Tasting Room
A local historic landmark, with daily
tasting, tours and gift shop.
12467 Base Line Road, Rancho
Cucamonga; 909-899-5755,
www.josephfilippiwinery.com
San Antonio Winery Tasting Room
Daily tasting and gift shop.
2802 S. Milliken Ave., Ontario;
909-947-3995,
www.sanantoniowinery.com
The Wine Tailor
Daily tasting, tours and gift shop.
8916 Foothill Blvd., Rancho
Cucamonga; 909-481-5050,
www.thewinetailor.com
may 09 | inlandlivingmagazine.com | 35