For the past three years, Frank and Lisa Aglio have helped to make dreams come true for more than 300 brides at their bucolic Lake at Oak Meadows wedding facility in the heart of Temecula’s Wine Country. Now the couple is working to make their own dream a reality. With the help of Temecula Valley Winery Management the pair is getting ready to launch Vitagliano Vineyard & Winery, a boutique winery and tasting room that hearkens back to their Italian roots and traditions. The winery is named after Frank’s grandfather who grew grapes and made wine on an island off Sicily. The venture also reflects Lisa’s family interests in the pasta and confectionary businesses. “We want to share our tradition of wine and great food and desserts with visitors to the Temecula Valley,” says Frank. “We have plans initially to build a tasting room and wine production facility and hope to add a 10-room bed and breakfast, banquet pavilion and only true underground wine cave in the region.”
A 7.5 acre vineyard was planted two years ago and the Aglios will introduce the first their Tuscan inspired wines to wedding guests and wine lovers this spring with the help of the Temecula Valley Winery Management, a full-service winery management company that has dramatically lowered the cost of entry into the wine business. In addition to crush, fermentation and bottling capabilities, TVWM sets up and manages wine clubs with its proprietary software, trains staff, establishes a proven restaurant placement program, manages special events, ensures regulatory compliance and market and promotes client wineries and wines. Vitagliano’s wines also will be featured at The Collective, a unique tasting lounge in Old Town Temecula that features one of a kind, handmade boutique wines created by owners of local micro-wineries with the assistance of TVWM, the only true full-service winery management company in Southern California.
“Temecula Valley Winery Management has allowed us to jump start Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar (The) – Tustin and to get the process moving before we actually open our doors sometime later this year,” Frank explained.
The Aglios plan to provide the same kind of personalized service that has made their 10-acre facility a first choice among brides to be.
“We hold their hand through the whole process,” he said. “We have an eight-person wedding consulting staff, and we provide security services and golf carts so guests can easily get around our grounds.”
The Aglios hope to follow in the footsteps of the marchese Piero Antinori, one of the first Italian winemakers to create a Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend in 1978 that came be called a Super Tuscan. Along with Sangiovese, Vitagliano Vineyard & Winery will make wines from its Dolcetto, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes.
The Lake at Oak Meadows sits in the middle of Temecula’s Wine Country at 36101 Glen Oaks Road. For more information call (951) 676-6162 or go to: www.lakeoakmeadows.com
A little more than two years after opening its doors, Temecula Valley Winery Management has helped dozens of clients realize the dream of starting their own wineries at a fraction what it would cost to build a winery from scratch. TVWM’s Virtual Vineyard to Vendor facility on Diaz Road in Temecula allows small winemakers and growers to create and market their own boutique wines. The 33,000-square-foot facility operates as a fully bonded winery host facility and provides a secured space for multiple winemakers to process their own grapes and produce their own wines under the guidance of award-winning consulting winemaker Tim Kramer.
The Collective is located at 28544 Front Street, Temecula, CA 92590, next door to the Edge restaurant. It is open Wednesday-Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday from noon to 12 a.m. and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. For more information call (951) 693-4567 or (951) 699-8896 or go to www.tvwinecollective.com
Posted 4/29/10.
