History of Del Carlo Winery

Mike Teldeschi

In 1929, 13-year-old Michele came to the United States from his hillside home in Casabaciana, near Lucca, Italy. At the time, Michele's father and grandfather were both working in the Northern California wine industry. Michele's dad became an American citizen as soon as he could, and saved enough money to send for his family.

In 1938, Michele met Lucille Del Carlo at a Fourth of July picnic. Lucille was born on her family's grape ranch in West Dry Creek, where her parents, Albert and Gemma Del Carlo, operated a bonded winery. The Del Carlo's roots go back to an area of Italy near the Teldeschis. Michele and Lucille were married in 1941, just before Michele joined the Navy.

After World War II, the young couple looked for a place to call their own. They purchased what we call the Home Ranch on Dry Creek Road. The Home Ranch property has a long history in the wine business. A steam-powered winery was located here in 1889, and we have many photos and artifacts from that period.

The Home Ranch totals 50 acres, with 26 acres planted to grapes. Some of our Zinfandel vines are more than a century old, and are still producing superb quality fruit. We use these classic grapes in our Del Carlo Old Vine Zinfandel. We also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Grenache and Dolcetto grapes. We only make small quantities of Old Vine Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance of our grapes being sold to several of the top wineries in Sonoma County.

Ray Teldeschi

The Home Ranch is the only home Ray Teldeschi has ever known. Born and raised on the ranch, Ray has grown grapes and worked beside his dad since he was a child. Ray follows his father's sustainable growing practices and allows the soil and weather to guide him in producing the best possible fruit year after year.

Today, Ray Teldeschi Vineyards grapes are in high demand, but decades ago, Ray and Michele would sometimes deliver boxes of grapes to San Francisco to Italian families who made wine at home. In 1950, Michele was excited to buy a new red GMC flatbed truck to make those deliveries. The truck, affectionately known as "Old Red," is still in use today, still delivering grapes to local wineries.

Ray, his wife Lori and Ray's son Marc founded Del Carlo Winery in 2005, beginning the next chapter in a four-generation story of great wine, stewardship of the land, and hard work. Mike passed on in 2009, but the family is proud of the legacy he left behind, and is working hard to maintain it to pass along to another generation of grape growers.