The known history of the Stolo Family property dates
back to the late 1800's. This property sits at the mouth
of the Santa Rosa Valley, one and one half miles inland
from the coastal town of Cambria. It is bordered on the
north by emerald green hills and to the south by Santa
Rosa Creek, a year-round stream and spawning ground for
Steelhead Trout. Deer, bobcats, coyotes, wild boars,
mountain lions, and the occasional skunk also habitat
the valley. To the east, rise the scenic Santa Lucia
Mountains.
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According to local historian, Dawn Dunlap,
the first noted purchase of the property was
by the Phillips Family in the late 1800's.
They established a profitable dairy on the
property. They also planted 30 acres of oat
hay in the field adjacent to Santa Rosa
Creek, and added a second story to their
home, which still exists on the property.
Phillips sold the property in the early
1900's to Italian-Swiss immigrant Salvaore
(Sam) Berri and his wife, Katherine. The
Berris enlarged the dairy operation and
built the barn you see on the property
today. They sold dairy products to the
creamery in nearby Harmony. In his native
Switzerland, Sam Berri learned the basics of
making wine and grappa. After settling in
Santa Rosa Valley, he began buying grapes
from the York and Pesenti Family Wineries in
Templeton. According to local ranchers,
during Prohibition, he would secretly crush
and rack the juice into barrels to ferment.
He also pressed the leftover skins to
make a fiery, yet smooth, grappa. His still
was rumored to have been set up in a hidden
cellar under the barn. However, this
location has yet to be discovered. There was
a ready market for his special grappa in the
local saloons. For over 30 years, Sam
enjoyed a lucrative grappa business in
Cambria. In |
 the
1930's, the going price for his grappa was
$5 for a pint flask, and $30 for gallon
bottles, which was sold to famous saloon
owners Rosa Camozzi and Joseph Reali. To
this day, you can still visit Camozzi's bar
in downtown Cambria.
Sam and Katherine Berri died in the early
1960s and their children sold the property.
In the 1990s, John and Peggy Prian purchased
the property and began restoration of the
historic Phillips/Berri house. The Prians
also decided to plant a vineyard. This was
considered a brave and experimental endeavor
due to their close proximity to the ocean.
Consultation from expert sources in the Paso
Robles area led them to plant a nine-acre
vineyard with Pinot Noir, Syrah and
Chardonnay varietals. Crops were harvested
and sold to local winemakers.
In 2002 the property was purchased by Don
and Charlene Stolo, beginning the current
history of TreViti Wines and Stolo Family
Vineyard. Future plans include the
construction of a winery and wine tasting
facility on the property to be completed by
the spring of 2008 and the planting of
additional vines on the land adjacent to
Santa Rosa Creek. |
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