Fall Hopland Passport 2011- 9) Milano

Dec 10, 2011 by Diane Davis

The last winery on the South end of Hopland is Milano Family Winery. Built in an old hop kiln, Milano has a history that goes past prohibition and through the generations of the Milano Family. The current owners have been true to the building by leaving it substantially as it was when it was first built, with the exception of the beautiful outdoor gourmet kitchen in the back and a bit of landscaping, and the animals.

Deanna (owner and winemaker) is an animal lover and she has collected llamas, goats, chickens, geese and desert tortoises. The tortoises are always the stars, even to those of us that have been around forever love to watch the antics of the tortoises.  Count on them to make an appearance and beg for scraps (even though they are on a special diet).

For the life of Hopland Passports, Milano Family Winery has had the same menu, tri tip, rolls, Cesar salad, vegetable tray and raspberry brownies. It is at Milano that you can count on a craft fair with a variety of vendors, including homemade jerky by Randy Watterson, pottery, wood working, glassware, and for the first time this year- gourmet cupcakes by Starting From Scratch Bakery. (Just for the record, they are crazy good!).

Deanna has created some very memorable labels for her winery. After Katrina she created Disaster Relief Red to help raise money for the the victims of the hurricane. She later created Recall Red to commemorate that dark period of California history, then there was the humorous Big Ass Red followed by her sister, Big Ass Blonde, all as ingenuous as their maker.

A visit to Milano was a step back into history, into the past of Hopland and the future of wines.