Winter Harvest at Seghesio Family Vineyards

Pete Seghesio (center) continues his family traditions with fellow wine growers.

For Pete Seghesio, nothing tastes better than freshly made sausage served atop a slice of crusty bread, with a glass of Zinfandel, at 10 o’clock in the morning. It’s a flavorful way to celebrate two family traditions – making wine and handcrafting Italian sausage.

Seghesio Family Vineyards, located in Sonoma County, has long been known for quality wines, including their 2007 Zinfandel, which appeared on Wine Spectator’s list of the top 100 wines. But when harvest season has ended each year, the family shares another tradition - making sausage amidst the wine barrels.

The Seghesio family creates 2,000 pounds of sausage every December. They use Boston butt with 10 percent fat blended back in, because pork is much leaner now than when Pete’s grandmother created this recipe. Once the meat has been spread across a long table, family members pour a mixture of Zinfandel and fresh garlic across every 100 pounds of meat. Healthy doses of salt, pepper, nutmeg, clove, and allspice follow. Then dozens of gloved hands knead the meat to incorporate the seasonings.

The sausage machine (circa 1859) that has been used by the family since the late 1800s

In the early days, the Seghesios used an 1859 sausage machine. Although their grinding machines are newer now, filling the casings still requires plenty of hands-on attention. Pete blows into a sheath of cow intestine before placing it on a spout and then holds it tightly as meat fills the long casing. Expert hands tie-off the casing in six-inch lengths and then hang dozens of sausages on clotheslines near the wine barrels.

                                                Pete Seghesio fills cow intestine with sausage

The Seghesio family also has turned this event into an annual party, attended by many members of their Centennial (wine) Club; some even help to make the sausage. As everyone works the wine flows, finished sausages sizzle in frying pans and neighbor, Frank Passalacqua, cooks risotto to accompany the freshly made meat. Pete shares samples of his own Sicilian-inspired sausage recipe with friends, full of fennel, fennel pollen, red pepper flakes, pepper, fresh garlic and secret ingredients.

         Ed Seghesio, Chef Jon Helquist, Will and Pete Seghesio taste testing in the winery kitchen.

If you’d like to learn more about this lovely winter tradition, see their YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoJVmhR-XcQ.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SEGHESIO FAMILY VINEYARDS
Lisa visited Seghesio Family Vineyards during a press trip, in February 2008

Food & Wine at Seghesio Family Vineyards

No tour of Seghesio Family Vineyards, in the Sonoma Valley, would be complete without a visit to the tasting room where a weathered piece of wood under glass forms a sort of 'centerpiece' for the table. "When we created this tasting room, we incorporated Angela's pasta board into this table, to preserve it," says Rachael Ann Passalacqua Seghesio, the company's matriarch, as she affectionately pats the board used by her mother-in-law, Angela. Rachel Ann then leads us to our wine and food pairing while regaling us with more family history and recipes.

The 400-acre family-run winery began in 1895, and the Seghesio name adorned five wine bottle labels by 1983. Today, half of all Seghesio vines grow zinfandel grapes, and the winery's 80-percent Sonoma zinfandel has been ranked among the nation's top 100 wines.

The family built their first wine tasting room - including Angela's pasta board - in 1997, and added a private tasting room 10 years later. Private food and wine pairings have become so popular that they are available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with walk-ins welcome. For $25 ($15 for wine club members) visitors enjoy a meal that uses many organic and local ingredients, and changes every month. And, with enthusiastic family members available to answer questions, this food and wine pairing is a delightful wine country experience.