Chris Puppione started Puppione Family Wines to celebrate family and traditions.
Winemaking has long been a family tradition for the Puppione’s. His great grandfather Pietro Puppione made wine at home, sourcing grapes from a local grower in Livermore. Wine has been a part of the dinner table for many generations and Chris wanted to continue the tradition.
Chris Puppione built strong relationships working in the wine and hospitality industry over the years. With the support of many friends, Chris–who always dreamed of being a dad and finally made the dream come true– was able to honor the milestones of the births of his children. He was so overjoyed, he wanted to bottle that feeling so he could remember it for many years.
Grapes are always crushed by foot – grape stomping is definitely a family activity even the kids participate in. Chris uses native yeast fermentations and a minimalist, Old World winemaking approach with little to no additives. All his wines are aged in neutral oak, unfined and unfiltered. He sources premium fruit from Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, Green Valley and a little amount of fruit for their Volta blend from the Chalone AVA outside of Sonoma County.
Thanks to the mindful farming of the growers they work with who engage in sustainable and organic practices in the vineyard, they can employ these minimalist, old-school techniques because of the high quality grapes they source. The end result–wines of energy and freshness and purity. It’s that simple, but it’s not easy.
After receiving great feedback from family and friends, he continued to make wine the next year. Each vintage they made after continues to tell a unique story.
