Trentadue

Trentadue: All in the Family Since 1959

The Trentadues were a family of farmers and ranchers even before they immigrated to the United States, and they consider themselves to be farmers first, even today.

After making their way to what is now Silicon Valley, California, the family purchased land and grew cherries and apricots. However, other industry began moving into the area, pushing out the farmers. In 1959, Victor's parents Leo and Evelyn Trentadue sold their orchards and bought 208 acres in Alexander Valley, then considered a remote area of Sonoma County.

The land was rich and fertile, and the Trentadue family began cultivating a variety of grapes. At first they sold their crops, but eventually they began crafting their own delicious wine from these lovingly cultivated grapes. A legacy was born.

Today, Victor Trentadue not only farms his own land, but owns a vineyard management business that services a host of clients throughout Sonoma County. Both his sons, Steven and Tyler, work in the vineyards and winery and plan to continue the family legacy and pass it on to their children.

These days it is becoming more and more rare for family-owned wineries to flourish. We are proud to have Trentadue Winery as a partner.

Victor Trentadue Bio

Meet Trentadue Winery Owner Victor Trentadue

Trentadue Winery grew out of a rich winemaking heritage spanning four generations. Victor Trentadue’s maternal ancestors made their home in the walled city of Lucca in the Tuscany region of Italy until economic hardship in the early 1900’s impelled them to seek a better life in America. Victor’s great grandfather, Guiseppe Santini, traveled to the United States to establish a place for his wife and four daughters. He found that place in the small Dry Creek Valley located in Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco, Calif., amidst a growing community of Italian immigrants. It is not known if Guiseppe had a history of making wine before coming to America, but once settled in the Dry Creek Valley, he soon became renowned among his neighbors for making an outstanding table wine. Winemaking was a family affair with his oldest daughter, Paulina, and later her daughter, Evelyn (Victor’s mother), helping. The basement of the house was his winery, and soon neighbors were stopping by regularly to fill their jugs, sit at the long plank table, and enjoy a glass or two with some homemade sausage or pasta.

Victor’s father, Leo, came from a long farming tradition. In 1958, Leo and Evelyn were growing cherries and apricots in the Santa Clara Valley but looking for a place to resettle with their three children, Annette, Victor and Lisa. Evelyn’s strong ties to the Dry Creek Valley area were the deciding factor, and they chose to make their home in the nearby Alexander Valley. Leo soon became renowned for his top quality Zinfandel.

Paul Draper, founder and winemaker for Ridge Vineyards, sought Leo out, and in addition to selling grapes to Ridge, the Drapers and the Trentadues became lifelong friends. The California winemaking industry was in its infancy, but with encouragement and advice from Draper, the family opened Trentadue Winery in 1969. Victor worked alongside his parents, learning to drive the tractor with wooden blocks strapped to the pedals, when he was eight years old. Over the next few decades, Victor learned and performed all functions of producing the wines. He was helped often by his high school sweetheart, Cindy, who joked that it was the only way she could have a date with him. After a few years’ break, Victor and Cindy married in 1990 and have two sons, Steven, 33 and Tyler, 29.

Trentadue Winery is in its 51st year and is still a family-owned business showcasing the personal style of the Trentadue family. Today the winery has grown to produce 35,000 cases of beautifully crafted, award-winning wines.