From Italy to Dry Creek Valley...

The Martorana story of wine began where so many of the best wine stories do, in Italy, several generations ago.

On the steep hillsides of Santo Stefano, in northwestern Italy, the Accornero family’s five children grew up tending estate vineyards. Two sons and the oldest daughter remained in Italy and continued to work the land. To this day you can find their grandchildren tending the very same hillside vineyards. In 1939, the two youngest daughters set sail for new land in America.

Clara and Pierna arrived in San Francisco in 1939, where their uncle Guilio Accornero operated the Sonoma Hills Wine Company on the Embarcadero. Here begins a new chapter of the family’s wine making story. In 1940 Clara met and married Anthony Martorana, a young man from Palermo, Sicily. Together, they bought land in the Dry Creek region of Sonoma County.

Family owned and operated vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley since 1983.

Today, Martorana Winery and Vineyards is run by the next two generations: Clara’s son, Tony Martorana and grandson, Gio Martorana. In 2005 Gio and Tony expanded the operation to include Martorana’s own, small production, award-winning wines from their certified organic estate vineyards including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and our own red blend the Mozzafiato.

We Started with Olive Oil!

Gio Martorana began making Olio di Gio extra virgin olive oil in 1997. Our traditional press, the oldest extraction method, produces an oil with greater flavor profiles and higher polyphenol content. We organically farm Arbequina, Coratina, Frantoio, Leccino, Manzanillo, Mission, Nebiollo, and Pendolino olive varietals that go into every bottle of our oil. All of the olives are hand picked in early winter to achieve an intense flavor. The olives are pressed soon after picking to preserve the antioxidants and then hand bottled, corked and waxed here at the winery. A labor of love!

Thoughtful Farming...

Over the years Martorana Estate Vineyards has grown to cover 30 acres in two different areas of Dry Creek Valley, including a Native American fishing village once occupied by the Southern Pomo Indians. The family’s commitment to the preservation of the land and natural resources led them to embrace organic farming techniques. Organic certification requires the vineyards are maintained without conventional pesticides or herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering or ionizing radiation. Crop covers, of mustard, Magus peas, Bell beans, Purple Vetch and Cayuse Oats are planted between the rows of vines and when flowering are then turned back into the soil for nutrients for the vineyards/grapes. The micro-organisms in the soil allow the vines to utilize the nutrients efficiently. Our organic practices have earned a certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers, and in 2014, the prestigious Wildlife Stewardship Award from the Associate of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. This is the first time this award has been given to a Winery!