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Vino Latino USA only exists because there are people whom we love and admire that make wine we like to drink! Here’s a few of our favorite people. Please note the word “few” for there are many winemakers we adore but these guys had the best pictures. (wink).
Larry Robledo-Robledo Family Winery
Latino Vintner and Robledo Family Wines are almost synonymous. Most people who know of a Mexican owned winery in the USA think of the fun loving, down to earth Robledo Family. When we wanted to start Vino Latino USA we knew we wanted them in our corner. Over the years we have formed a relationship that goes beyond wine with Lazaro Robledo, lovingly known as “Larry.” Larry’s smile and zest for fun is contagious. His sense of humor is keen and his heart is generous. He’s a smart business man and a good friend, as is the rest of the Robledo clan.
Paul Maroon-Maroon Wines
One thing that I admire about Paul Maroon, a wealthy and successful businessman, is that Paul treats everyone the same, no matter the socio-economic status. Everyone is treated with respect and instantly becomes his friend. Part of our mission at Vino Latino USA is to support people we truly like. There’s a lot of good wine out there, but not every wine is made by real people whom you can call friend. Paul also has fairly priced wines from Napa Valley making his wine truly a hidden treasure.
Cecelia Enriquez-Enriquez Family Estate
It’s very important for us to support Latina winemakers. It’s always great to see women break down barriers in a male dominated industry (and visa versa..just think of male hairdressers or nurses!). It’s even more inspiring when that woman is under 30. Cecelia and her family bought the estate in 2010. The family stayed in New Jersey and Cecelia came to Sonoma to roll up her sleeves and manage the estate, sell grapes, and make winemaking decisions. It’s been a blast to watch Cecelia grow and evolve in her role as aVintress and we can’t wait to see what is next.
Cesar Toxqui-CTC Cellars and IMMIGRANT WINES
The best thing about wine, people often say, is the friends you make along the way. That couldn’t be more true with Cesar Toxqui. Cesar Toxqui was born in Mexico City. He came to Ukiah, CA as a teenager. While in high school he met a friend whose family owned a winery and the rest is history. Not only is Cesar the winemaker for Immigrant Zinfandel and Ruthless Red, he’s also our winemaker for Vino S Vida Moscato.
Fernando Candelario-Voces
We always tell Fernando that his wine is like him but in liquid form. Fernando is soft spoken, just like the tannins in his wines. He’s kind of artsy, like the label on his bottle. It’s compelling, like Fernando’s story. When you get to know Fernando and then drink his wine you’re like, “Oh yeah, that’s totally him.” Sounds weird, but hey, we’ve been drinking Wine as we make this website so what do you expect?
