trim and around 5 feet , 10 inches tall , with a thick thatch of well-cropped charcoal hair . Howard is about 6 feet , 1 inch tall , bald and heavier , though also solidly built . Their temperaments also offer an important distinction : Howard is a born marketer and host . Gary is , he admits , “ the worrier ,” who keeps the books and occasionally has to “ rein in Howard because he always has big ideas .” To a visitor , their camaraderie and yin-yang dynamic seem to be , like the perfect wine meal , an excellent pairing .
James Frasinetti , the brothers ’ Italian immigrant grandfather , founded the winery at a time when horse-drawn wagons and the property ’ s abutting railroad track allowed for shipping throughout California and the East Coast . As happened to many in wine and liquorbottling enterprises during Prohibition , which lasted from 1920 to 1933 , the Frasinettis had to close up shop until the family found the niche of producing altar wine for nearby churches and turning its 400 acres to farming of conventional crops . The winery still doesn ’ t do retail sales : If you want the wine , you have to go to the tasting room to buy it .
During this interview , and strictly to assist this writer ’ s research , Howard pours a small glass of one of those altar wines . It has the sweet lightness of a fine sherry . The tasting took place
James Frasinetti , an Italian immigrant , founded the winery at a time when horsedrawn wagons and the property ’ s abutting railroad track allowed for shipping throughout California and the East Coast .
in the winery ’ s tasting room , which is immaculate , as is every other inch of the nearly 6-acre facility , including the al fresco party area . At the time of this visit , the winery was shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ( it reopened April 15 ), but the brothers maintained the tasting room , poised to reopen on a moment ’ s notice , and not only resurrect but enhance its lunch and dinner service with a newly purchased pizza oven . The menu includes grilled Niman Ranch pork chops ; flat iron steaks ; grilled halibut ; chicken scaloppini ; risotto ; and , of special note , Grandma Rose ’ s pot roast , whose recipe has been in the family since Grandma Rose was on the planet , in the kitchen , preparing it a century ago .
While the Frasinetti brothers aren ’ t sanguine about enduring the yearlong shutdown of their business , they had a serious edge over similar businesses .
“ We ’ re 100 percent debt-free ,” Howard says .
“ We paid off every loan long ago ,” Gary echoes . “ That ’ s how we ’ ve always tried to do things in our family .” Howard and Gary bought the winery in 1973 from their dad and his two brothers ,
Grandpa James Frasinetti with oldest son Christandino Frasinetti deliver wine to wealthy Victorian homes in Sacramento . PHOTO COURTESY OF FRASINETTI WINERY
who were equal partners ( James died at the age of 92 a few years earlier ).
That pay-as-you-go ethic would likely live on if there were younger Frasinettis waiting to take over the winery . But Howard says neither of his children , who are 48 and 50 years old , have expressed a desire to go into the family business . Howard also has four grandchildren , ages 12-25 years old , who either aren ’ t old enough or excited enough about carrying the torch .
“ We ’ re not actively seeking a buyer ,” says Howard , “ but we ’ re not exactly refusing to take calls , either .” In fact , Ken Noack , of real estate firm Newmark , has had the listing on the property since 2018 .
“ It ’ s a tough day-to-day business ,” says Gary , who has never married . The reason : “ I couldn ’ t find someone who ’ d entirely understand if she ’ d planned on my being home for dinner at 6 and then , at 5:45 , a buyer walked into the winery and I needed to deal with that . And wanted to . So I guess you can say I ’ ve been wedded to this place all of these years .”
Ed Goldman writes a thrice-weekly column , The Goldman State , for his website goldmanstate . com .
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