The Spill: Fotinos Vineyard turns 50

When George Fotinos purchased a plot of land on Old Sonoma Highway in 1969 with his brother, it’s unlikely they envisioned an anniversary wine in their future.

But George and his brother, Tom, turned the prune orchard into a vineyard and last November, five decades later, George’s three daughters released a 50th Anniversary Vintage 2018 Fotinos Vineyard Pinot Noir.

“How often do you get to celebrate 50 years of anything?” asked Margaret Fotinos Morearty.

George was a civil and structural engineer and worked on bridges such as the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, she said.

He traveled the world for work.

“The job took him to all corners of the earth and he still did this,” said Angela Koros, Morearty’s sister.

“Making wine was a labor of love,” Morearty said.

Added Koros: “The vineyard was his favorite place to be.”

He was a man “of few words” and immense talent who created the 26-acre pinot noir vineyard with his brother and built a reservoir on the property to supply water to the vines.

Fotinos learned winemaking from his own father, but back then the wine wasn’t for commercial purposes as much as it was for family and friends. Most of the grapes were sold to other wineries. Fotinos had developed good relationships within the Napa and Sonoma communities, Morearty said. Saintsbury and Mondavi purchased Fotinos Vineyard grapes for a long time, and now their grapes are used in Mumm’s sparkling wine.

The family decided to create their own label to take it to market; the first bottling was in 2003. Fotinos died in 2014, and it might have been the time to let the Fotinos label go, but his daughters and wife are carrying on in his memory.

“It’s our legacy,” Koros said.

The Fotinos sisters grew up in Sonoma Valley and worked in the vineyard.

Angela graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 1981, Margaret in 1982; and Elaine graduated from Justin Siena High School in Napa in 1987.

Morearty remembers removing milk cartons that were placed for protection over young vines. Sometimes they would find a frog under them, she said. Through their father they learned love of nature and how to care for the vines.

The family split up the responsibilities of running the vineyard and the winemaking.

Koros and her husband Ted manage the winemaking coordination; Morearty manages the vineyard operations and her husband Mike manages technology; Elaine Burrell is responsible for web design and her husband Jim takes care of equipment and facilities. Their mother, Vivian Fotinos, is the heart and soul of the operation and can still be found working in the vineyard now and then.

They have a “devoted” labor crew that works the vineyard, Morearty said.

“In farming you can’t do this alone. Mother Nature has her own ideas,” she said.

They grow only pinot noir and recently replanted two acres, the first fruit of which was harvested last fall.

“It’s not the easiest grape to grow, but we know how to do it,” she said. “We all love pinot noir. We all celebrate with it.”

They celebrated their 50th anniversary with 175 guests in November with a release party of the Fotinos Vineyard 2018 Pinot Noir, which won gold in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

“Everyone worked really hard to pull that off,” Morearty said. “We couldn’t do it without the community support.”

They produce about 150 cases of Fotinos Vineyard wine and, at some point, if there is market demand, they may increase production. But for now, Koros said they will “keep moving forward” and have fun with it. That, and they will keep “drinking good wine.” Like their own.

Contact Anne at anne.ernst@sonomanews.com.