Picchetti Brothers Winery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Picchetti Winery
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 Location in San Jose, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Cupertino, California |
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| Built | 1880 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000545 |
| Added to NRHP | May 10, 1979 |
The Picchetti Winery, also known as the Picchetti Ranch, is a historic winery located in Cupertino, California. You can find it at 13100 Montebello Rd., within the Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve. The Picchetti brothers, Secondo and Vincenzo, gave the ranch its name. They were among the first people to plant grapes on this special ridge. They called it "Monte Bello," which means "beautiful mountain." This area later became a very important place for vineyards in Santa Clara County.
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Picchetti Winery: A Historic California Spot
The winery complex has seven buildings. These were built between 1880 and 1920. They still look much like they did when they were first built.
Starting the Winery
Vincenzo and Secondo Picchetti moved to the Montebello ridge in 1877. They bought their first 160 acres (65 ha) of land for $1,500. By 1904, their ranch had grown to 500 acres (200 ha). The first house on the property was built around 1882. A bigger house followed in 1886. Both homes and the stone winery stayed in the Picchetti family until 1976.
The first grapes planted here were Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah. At first, the brothers only sold their grapes to other local wineries. But in 1896, they decided to make their own wine. This made them one of California's early official wineries. They were given the number 148.
Community and Changes
Vincenzo Picchetti helped start the Montebello School in 1892. He was on the first school board. He even provided a room at his ranch for a teacher. Grapevines were very important to Cupertino's early economy. However, tiny bugs called grape parasites damaged many vines in the 1890s.
When Vincenzo passed away in 1904, his sons Antone and John took over the winery and ranch. The front porch of the main house used to be screened in. It was used as a bird enclosure, called an aviary. Later, John built many more aviaries. One of these aviaries still stands in front of the main house today.
Winery Today
Commercial wine production stopped in 1963. It was not making enough money. Much of the land was then sold to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission helped pay to fix up the winery building.
From 1982 to 1998, the land produced wine as Sunrise Winery. In 1998, Leslie Pantling took over the winery. Wine production started again under the "Leslie's Estate" label. Today, they make about 9,000 cases of wine each year.
The Picchetti ranch and winery on Montebello Road are still important. They show us how much viticulture (grape growing and winemaking) helped Cupertino grow in the past.
Exploring Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve
The Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve covers 308 acres (125 ha). The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District bought it in 1976. The winery building itself is leased back to a private company.
Nature and Trails
The preserve is partly surrounded by Stevens Creek County Park. It has 3.7 miles (6.0 km) of trails. These trails are only for people walking or riding horses.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.
