Timeline
1894 – Gasparé Indelicato is born in Campobello, Sicily.
1912 – Gasparé immigrates to America.
1921 – Gasparé marries Catherine, whom he met while picking grapes in a Lodi vineyard. Catherine also was of Italian origin, from a small town near Naples.
1924 – Gasparé begins planting grapes at his home in California.
1919-1933 – Prohibition: Gasparé's grape harvest mainly went to home winemakers in Chicago, who were permitted to produce up to 200 gal per year for their own use.
1929-1940 – The Great Depression: The bank was ready to foreclose, and Gasparé thought he might lose the ranch. Luckily, he was able to secure an extended loan and save the winery.
1935 – Gasparé makes wine. Opens wine cellar with brother-in-law.
1950-1958 – The second generation: Frank, Anthony and Vincent take over the business; begin making custom wines for other California vintners.
1950 – Delicato introduces wines under its own name, with such favorites as Green Hungarian, Pink Tingle and Sauternes.
1962 – Gasparé passes away.
1981 – Members of the third generation begin working at the winery.
1983 – The first annual Delicato Charity Grape Stomp: an outgoing community tradition celebrating old world winemaking.
1984 – Monterey AVA (American Viticultural Area) established.
1987 – The Indelicato family purchases 110 acres from the Prudential Company and begins construction on a new winery in the middle of San Bernabe Vineyard in Monterey County.
1988 – The Indelicato family purchases the balance of the San Bernabe Vineyard encompassing over 12,000 acres of vineyard and surrounding land.
1989-1999 – San Bernabe Vineyard painstakingly replanted to customized clones based on the unique climate and soils found in different vineyard locations.
1995 – The sliding grapevine grow tube is introduced at San Bernabe and adopted by vineyards worldwide.
1995 – The Indelicato family purchases Clay Station Vineyard, once a historic stagecoach stop and cattle ranch in Lodi, California.
1996 – Delicato releases new range of popular premium wines.
1996 – The Smart-Dyson trellising system is introduced at San Bernabe, optimizing factors related to wind direction.
1996-1999 – Following Delicato's 1988 lead, other high profile winemakers are attracted to Monterey's ideal grapegrowing climate.
1997 – Monterra wines go into wide release (tasting room only since 1993).
2000 – The Executive Offices are moved to Napa, California.
2001 – Delicato Family Vineyards is awarded the distinction of "Best American Winery" by 40 Masters of Wine at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London.
2001 – Delicato Shiraz wins the first of three consecutive "Best Shiraz of California" awards at the California State Fair. The second and third wins follow in 2002 and 2003.
2002 – Encore wines are introduced featuring Red and White Medleys made from grapes grown exclusively on our San Bernabe Vineyard.
2002 – Delicato wins "Best American Winery" at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition for the second consecutive year.
2003 – Clay Station is introduced, offering wines that are uniquely expressive of the terroir in Lodi, Calif.
2003 – Anthony Indelicato passes away.
2003 – The 3.0L Bota Box is introduced, allowing consumers to enjoy premium Delicato wines by the glass without the worry of waste or spoilage.
2003 – Delicato Shiraz is named the #1 Best Buy of 2003 by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
2003 – Bota Box is featured as one of the hot trends for the New Year on NBC's Today Show.
2004 – King Fish wines offer premium California wine at approachable prices.
2004 – Chris Indelicato, 3rd generation family member, is appointed CEO.
2004 – San Bernabe receives the designation of the newest American Viticulture Area (AVA). Delicato's remarkable San Bernabe Vineyard property now makes up approximately half of the new AVA.
2005 – Delicato Family Vineyards launches an updated, elegant new look to its labels and adds Pinot Grigio to the lineup.
2005 – Monterra is released with a new label to emphasize our vineyards on San Bernabe and the quality of fruit from this new appellation.
2005 – Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin is introduced, showcasing winemakers talents and Lodi's old vine Zinfandel grapes.
2006 – Irony Napa Valley wines are introduced, adding wines from distinctive Napa Valley vineyards to DFV Wines portfolio.
2006 – 337 Cabernet Sauvignon wine is introduced to highlight the highly quaffable qualities of this unique French clone grown in Lodi.
2006 – The Indelicato family partners with Chateau Maris, a winery in the south of France, to import limited production, biodynamically-farmed wines.
2007 – Twisted wines are launched nationwide.
2007 – Delicato Family Vineyards changes its moniker to DFV Wines to better reflect its superior portfolio of premium wines.