Gargiulo Vineyards is a small family winery committed to producing world-class, terroir-driven wine from our two Oakville estate properties, Money Road Ranch and 575 OVX. In their annual report Food and Wine Magazine named Gargiulo, "one of the most notable new wineries on the planet" and Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate recently noted, "This is a new discovery for me, these are well-made wines."
History
Jeff Gargiulo has been in the business of farming his entire life. For Gargiulo, becoming a vintner was a synthesis of a lifetime of accumulated agricultural knowledge and a passion for wine. He and his wife, Valerie, purchased their first Oakville vineyard, Money Road Ranch, in 1992 and after two years of top to bottom re-engineering, re-planted it in 1994. An acclaimed merlot property in the valley for over twenty years, 35 of Money Road Ranch's 40 acres were re-planted to merlot (3 different rootstocks and 3 different clones) and the remaining five were split between Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio. The first commercial release off Money Road Ranch was 2000 Money Road Ranch Merlot.
In 2000 Jeff and Valerie Gargiulo purchased 9 additional acres in Oakville at 575 Oakville Crossroad. This vineyard, named 575 OVX (Oakville Crossroad) is situated on the eastern side of Oakville; sandwiched between Rudd and Screaming Eagle. In the spring of 2001 Gargiulo re-planted 575 OVX to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. It is one of the only south facing sloped vineyards in Oakville. Fall 2004 marked the first harvest off of 575 OVX and in May 2005 the Gargiulo's begin construction on a state-of-the-art winery.
Money Road Ranch and 575 OVX were re-planted utilizing the most recent advances in vineyard development including; soil drainage, vine spacing, trellising, and rootstock/clone selection criteria. Sustainable farming practices are employed, including no-till soil management, and deficit irrigation. Thanks to Valerie Gargiulo's aunt and uncle, Bernard and Belle Rhodes, legendary viticulturalist Laurie Wood became part of the team. He manages both properties.