Company News

Delicato Family Vineyards Purchases Black Stallion Winery in the Napa Valley

May 4, 2010 - Delicato Family Vineyards (DFV) is pleased to announce the purchase of Black Stallion Winery located in the Napa Valley. DFV is a family-owned company founded in 1924. Three generations of the Indelicato family have guided DFV from a small grape growing operation started during Prohibition to one of California’s leading wineries. Black Stallion joins the family’s vineyard and winery holdings in Monterey County, Lodi and Manteca, California.

“The Black Stallion acquisition fulfills my family’s dream of owning an estate in the Napa Valley,” says Delicato Family Vineyards CEO and President, Chris Indelicato. “My grandfather planted our first vineyards in the 1920s and we began to make wine in the 30s. “My father and uncles continued to lead the company forward by purchasing vineyards in Lodi and Monterey. The third generation has had an eye on the Napa Valley for some time and my brother Jay and I, along with cousins Cheryl, Mike, Frank Jr. and Marie, are proud to honor the family’s legacy of producing wines from California’s most prestigious growing regions. We look forward to offering estate bottled Napa Valley wines with the quality that Delicato Family Vineyards is known for.”

Black Stallion Winery is located in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, three miles north of the town of Napa along the famed Silverado Trail.  The winery takes its name from an equestrian facility, the Silverado Horseman’s Center, which was located on the grounds many years ago. The original property featured riding trails, stables and an outdoor arena where Francis Ford Coppola filmed the helicopter scene from Apocalypse Now. Today the Black Stallion Winery includes estate vineyards, an elegant tasting room and hospitality center as well as two guest cottages.

DFV Wines Continues Hot Streak: Third Generation California Winery Brings Home Three Impact Hot Brand Awards

March 24, 2010 – DFV Wines, a family-owned California winery, is proud to announce that leading industry publication Impact Databank has named three of its wine brands, Gnarly Head, Bota Box and Twisted as 2009 Hot Brands. This is the third consecutive Hot Brand Award for Gnarly Head, the second for premium bag-in-box wine brand, Bota Box, and represents Twisted’s first showing.

Domestic wine brands must meet the following criteria to qualify as Impact Hot Brands: established brands with double-digit growth each year in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and a minimum volume requirement of 200,000 cases.

“Even though 2009 will be remembered as a tough year for the wine industry as a whole, DFV Wines maintained its momentum by continuing to craft high quality wines that consistently over-deliver,” said Chris Indelicato, CEO and President, DFV Wines. “As a family owned and operated company, we’re proud that consumers, retailers, restaurateurs and wholesalers look to DFV Wines for quality wines and we’re grateful for their continued support.”

Twisted Is Named A "Hot Prospect" Brand

October 1, 2008 - Twisted was one of a select number of wine brands to be named as a Hot Prospect brand for 2007 in the October 2008 issue of Impact Magazine which is part of M. Shanken Communications, publisher of Wine Spectator, Market Watch, and Cigar Aficionado.  This is Impact's first-ever Hot Prospect report highlighting 64 successful wine and spirits brands.  The criteria for this prestigious award was based on depletions of at least 50,000 cases but not over 200,000 cases in 2007, and at least 15% depletion growth in 2007 with consistent growth in the previous three years. 

Loredona Riesling Steals the Show at California State Fair

July 15, 2008 - DFV Wines is pleased to announce that its Loredona Riesling, vintage 2007, was awarded Best of Show White Wine at last week’s California State Fair Wine Competition.  Best of Show is the highest honor any winery can receive; in the case of Loredona Riesling, the wine outperformed over 800 white wine entries.

Gnarly Head & Bota Box Named 2008 Impact Hot Brands

February 18, 2009 - DFV Wines is proud to announce that leading industry publication Impact Databank has named two of its wine brands, Gnarly Head and Bota Box, as 2008 Hot Brands. This is the second consecutive Hot Brand Award for Gnarly Head and represents a milestone for premium bag-in-box wine brand, Bota Box.

Domestic wine brands must meet the following criteria to qualify as Impact Hot Brands: established brand with double-digit growth each year in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and a minimum volume requirement of 200,000 cases.

Gnarly Head Wines Named 2007 Hot Brand

Marvin Shanken of M.Shanken Communications named Gnarly Head wines a Hot Brand for 2007, an honor reserved for only the high growth wine brands in the USA.

Find out more about Gnarly Head wines by visiting the Gnarly Head website.

DFV Wines named Wine Enthusiast Magazine's American Winery of the Year

Wine Enthusiast Magazine named DFV Wines American Winery of the Year, 2007, in their annual Wine Start Awards. Winners are selected by a panel of distinguished writers and editors for their outstanding contributions to the world of wine, with special attention given to achievements in the year 2007.
Press Release (PDF, 33K)

DFV Wines Revealed

"Using the name DFV Wines to encompass our growing portfolio of wines from superior appellations in California is a logical evolution in our family’s history. The imagery of the three hills in the logo evokes our vineyards, our family – three generations, and reflects our family's commitment to crafting and representing the highest quality wines produced in accordance with sustainable winegrowing principles." – Chris Indelicato