When it comes to keeping the old Italian winemaking traditions alive here, Greg Graziano has probably done more than any other vintner. With two labels — Monte Volpe and Enotria — devoted to Italian varieties, he’s all in, with Arneis, Primitivo, Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano and Negroamaro among others. Graziano is also the winemaker keeping track of a dizzying number of wines, adding Mendocino’s historic varieties (Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah) under his eponymous brand, and for good measure, Pinots Noir and Gris from Anderson Valley, which he calls St. Gregory. His simple slip of a tasting room, lined up with other storefronts on a sweet Hopland boardwalk, is generous in leading tasters on a journey through many of these character-rich wines, complete with stories of Graziano’s family roots in Italy’s Piemonte region.
WHAT TO TRY: Don’t miss the Sparkling Brut Rosé #11! On the red front, go Italian with the dark-fruited, structured Monte Volpe Montepulciano and the Monte Volpe Peppolino blend — Montepulciano, Negroamaro and Primitivo together offering tons of spice, briary berries and red earth.