Gristina Vineyards Garnet

n August of 2000, Vince Galluccio became the proud new owner of the high profile and critically acclaimed Gristina Vineyards. With strong commitment to continued quality, and in order to meet high market demand for their wines, Galluccio Estates / Gristina Winery has concrete plans to significantly increase production and to continue to develop and secure the brand recognition and loyalty that it has so well earned in recent years. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF GRISTINA VINEYARDS 1984 marked the inception of Gristina as a premier new vineyard in the North Fork of Long Island wine country. In pursuit of his passionate dream of growing grapes and producing wine, Jerry, along with his son, Peter, and Peter's now-departed grandfather, Andy, began planting in 1984 the 30 acres which now constitute Gristina. The vineyard site was chosen for its generally uniform high elevation and its particular soil: a sandy loam which resembles the soil of Bordeaux. From the very beginning, adherence to strict viticultural techniques has been a high priority. Those original vines planted would, four years later, yield the grapes for Gristina's first vintage 1988. The Gristinas finalized a purchase of an additional 30+ acres in 1999, the planting of which will commence in 2000. Among the original plantings made were the popular Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals. Several of the '88 and '89 vintage wines received the coveted 90 rating score in the industry-wide leading publication, The Wine Spectator. In 1990, due to overwhelming demand of the highly successful wines Gristina was producing, Jerry decided to build a winery. Housed within the winery is the wine cellar, which includes the barrel room, fermentation room, case storage warehouse, and the Gristina library wine collection.