A History of Winemaking
For Ronei, the son of Italian immigrants, winemaking wasn’t something special or mysterious, it was simply part of life.
Back in Michigan as an adult, he continued the tradition by making wine in his garage. His first batch left room for improvement. “We would get together with our neighbors and spend a weekend crushing grapes. I remember that my mother was at our house during our first attempt at the winemaking process. She just shook her head and in broken English, said “Da Vino…no comma good!’ Mama was right.”
Determined to do better, the Iacobellis improved on their process and then in 1998, bought land to begin a vineyard. “We love southern California,” says Lisa. “Ronei has close relatives there and we visit often. We found the Temecula area particularly inviting because it reminds Ronei of the land his grandparents farmed in Italy. The climate is similar and so is the topography,” she added.
Wine-making is their passion . . . the results are your pleasure!
They settled on a beautiful, rolling 20-acre parcel along the De Portola Wine Trail, planted their grapes along with a 125-tree olive grove. For years, they sold their grapes to local wineries. However, in 2010 Estate d’Iacobelli became a licensed winery and the couple now bottles the grapes they lovingly produce. The Iacobellis plan to offer estate-grown extra virgin olive oil alongside their limited-quantity estate wines.
In the spring of 2013, the Iacobellis purchased a 15-acre estate bordering the northern fairways of the Pala Mesa Golf Resort in Fallbrook, California. They immediately planted an additional vineyard there, along with citrus trees. Soon the estate will have a tasting room and the Iacobellis look forward to serving their wines in this spectacular location.
For Ronei and Lisa Iacobelli, making wine is part of their culture, upbringing and now, part of their daily lives. Wine-making is their passion . . . the results are your pleasure!
Dr. And Mrs. Iacobelli
For Ronei, the son of Italian immigrants, wine making wasn’t something special or mysterious. As a youth, he spent summers in Casalvieri, a small mountain town in central Italy where his grandfather taught him to make wine.
As an adult he continued the tradition by making wine in his Michigan garage. During one of his first attempts, his mother was there. She just shook her head and in broken English said “Da vino no comma good” Momma was right!
Determined to do better, the Iacobellis improved upon their process and then in 1998 bought land to plant a vineyard in Temecula, along the DePortola Wine Trail. However, growing the grapes was only the beginning. The couple wanted a hand in the entire process.
In the spring of 2013 Ronei and Lisa purchased a 15 acre estate in nearby Fallbrook. They had been searching for the perfect spot and knew at first sight that this was the best location for optimal growing conditions. Immediately they planted Italian varietals and intend to only plant the vines of their heritage.
Today the couple carefully craft their remarkable harvest into a collection of unique, small batch wines, under the Estate d’Iacobelli label and have opened a tasting room on the beautiful hilltop estate. For Ronei and Lisa, making wine is part of their culture, upbringing and now part of their daily lives. Winemaking is their passion… the results are your pleasure!