My son Vinnie and daughter in-law Danni discovered a little slice of Italy right here in Wisconsin and we couldn’t be more thrilled for them (and for us).
Located on the coast of Lake Pepin, the Villa Bellezza winery offers everything one might expect in an Italian winery — lush vineyards, a cobblestone courtyard, delicious food prepared in an open limestone brick oven, cool music, a beautiful fountain.
Its gorgeous locale, combined with a firm commitment by owners Derick and Julianne Dahlen to produce high quality wines, caught the eyes of Vinnie and Danni, who had been working in vineyards in Italy and Chile in an effort to learn as much as they can about the industry.
It is somewhat ironic to me that the driftless region called our two world travelers home but, in the space of just a few weeks, they found jobs at the vineyard and bought a house nearby.
Their drive to and from work takes them past some of the most beautiful bluffs in Wisconsin and then they get to work in a place that is equally picturesque and full of friendly people passionate about their craft.
Last week, my mom and I took a short trip to visit them, taste a little wine and see exactly where two of our favorite people in this old world had landed.
We can’t wait to go back.
On an ordinary Tuesday Villa Bellezza looked magical. It is, apparently, even more so during harvest season. They also host a Christmas Market and “Pepin Nouveau”, a release party for the first wine of the season.
Beyond all of that, the wine is delicious. Head winemaker Derick Dahlen and co-winemaker Katherine Kujak combine innovation and instinct to develop their sophisticated line. They use grapes from each of their four vineyards in and around the Pepin area — Villa Belleza, Casa della Pantera (named for a panther, or mountain lion, that has been spotted in the area), Sopra del Lago and the newest, Esperanza. In addition to their own grapes, they use grapes from other local growers in the upper Mississippi Valley.
We enjoyed a wine tasting and tour of the grounds, courtesy of Vinnie, and brought home a few bottles to savor until our next trip.
“Siamo Arrivati” is the vineyard’s theme and it means, “We have arrived.”
We plan to perfect our pronunciation and celebration of that phrase as often as we can.
We highly recommend the Dolci white wine for both drinking and marinating strawberries for shortcake! Deliziosa!
I could almost smell the wine. Great pics!
Cheers! Thank you!