Bernardo Winery’s director heads wine association

By Elizabeth Marie Himchak

Bernardo Winery’s director has become the youngest president of the San Diego County Vintner’s Association.

Ross Rizzo Jr., 26, was elected for a two-year term on Nov. 8. He is a third-generation winemaker at his family’s winery that spans the Rancho Bernardo and Poway border.

The 122-year-old Bernardo Winery was purchased in 1927 by Rizzo’s grandfather, Vincent Rizzo, who kept the business going during Prohibition by making sacramental wine and olive oil. Rizzo’s father, Ross Rizzo Sr., took over the family business in 1962 and Ross Jr. became its director upon his father’s death in 2008.

“One of my goals is to get all San Diego County wineries to join the association,” Rizzo said. Almost 50 of about 65 wineries and vineyards in the county are members of the 15-year-old nonprofit organization formed to promote locally grown and produced wines along with providing wine education opportunities to the public and winemakers.

“The purpose is to try to get a group-oriented approach to the San Diego County wine industry,” he said.

The association has grown from nine founding members — Bernardo Winery among them — as has the wine industry in recent years, Rizzo said. Though not yet as well known as the county’s micro brewery industry, momentum is there, especially in getting San Diego restaurants to serve locally produced vintages.

By definition, San Diego wine means the grapes come from local vineyards and the wine is produced here too, he said.

“I want San Diego to be proud of its wines, just like its breweries,” he said. During a trip to England this summer, Rizzo said he came across beer from Escondido-based Stone Brewing Co. “I was proud to find beer from my own town. I want wine to get there too.”

A key to achieving this is having San Diego restaurants serve local wines, prompted by locals requesting them when eating out, he said. To encourage this, the association holds wine tastings and other events so San Diegans are introduced to the area’s many varieties.

Progress has been made, he said, proven by the association’s inaugural San Diego Wine Country Festival held in August at Bernardo Winery. Organizers estimated 200 would attend and were pleasantly surprised with an attendance of 500, he said. After the festival, wineries that distribute reported an increase in wine sales to local businesses.

The county’s wineries — mostly mom-and-pop operations — span in size from those who produce 300 bottles a year and do not have a tasting room to those who make many times more and distribute. Bernardo Winery has a large wine production, but sells mainly through its tasting room and to special events, like weddings. Adding distribution is a future goal, he said.

Vineyards are also increasing, especially in areas like Fallbrook. Grape vines have been replacing avocado groves, perhaps because grapes require less water, he said. Some grape varieties best-suited for the area are petite sirah, cabernet franc and zinfandel, Rizzo added.

Rizzo, who earned an economics degree at California State University San Marcos, said running the family business has been a dream since childhood, even though he has considered other careers.

“The ability to talk with people all the time about wine is an amazing thing,” he said. “It’s a great industry.”

For San Diego County Vintner’s Association information, list of local wineries and events, go to www.sandiegowineries.org.