Winding Way Vineyards

Our beginning

The Cesarin family originated from a small town in northern Italy dating back to the 1600’s.  This is where Craig’s grandfather Guglielmo was raised and worked a vineyard with his nine brothers and sisters.  It was Craig’s father Ricci who taught him about growing and pruning plants which eventually became his passion for growing grapes.

In 2005 Craig and his wife Sheila purchased a parcel of land in Auburn, California where they decided to grow grapes and more specifically specialize in the French varietals. It was their award winning wines that pushed them to become a boutique winery.  They made their first wine in 2009 where they won their first medal for their Due Rossi blend.  The rest is history!

Growing grapes is not a new venture for the mother lode as winemaking started in 1860 where it was once a thriving industry giving Placer County more vineyards and wineries than Sonoma and Napa combined.  It wasn’t till the prohibition that the vineyards were converted to pear, apple and citrus orchards.

In the 1970’s local winemakers returned to the land and to it’s winemaking roots. Placer County’s climate and 1200 ft. elevation with it’s granitic soil is ideal for producing superior wine grapes much like those found in the Rhone Valley of France.

The long summer days and cooler evenings in the Sierra Foothills make it possible for the grapes to produce the acidity levels and to acquire such intense color, flavors and tannins for award winning wines.