Wine Cellar
Advocating passion
Vino Con Brio winery and Amorosa Inn a great combination
Date Published: October 2005
[Brenda Meadows/Granite Bay View]
Renae Matson of Lodi pours a glass of her Vino Con Brio wine in the winery's tasting room for a guest.
[Brenda Meadows/Granite Bay View]
Many of the Vino Con Brio wines are made from grapes grown on the premises.
[Brenda Meadows/Granite Bay View]
Grapes in the Vino Con Brio vineyard are ripe for harvest.
[Brenda Meadows/Granite Bay View]
A pond and weeping willows are framed by vineyards at the Amorosa Inn.
Mike and Renae Matson advocate passion. In fact, "Let the passion begin" is the English translation of the name of their winery Vino Con Brio, 7889 Harney Lane in Lodi.
"And passion means different things to people," she says. "We are passionate about our wines and the people we love. But we can also be passionate about life itself."
Long time residents of Lodi, the Matsons have been married 34 years and have three adult children who also take a keen interest in the family business.
Mike Matson is an orthodontist who took an interest in farming grapes about 25 years ago. Renae Matson's family has been farming grapes for decades and has about 400 acres of grapes in the Lodi area. The couple purchased their 25-acre vineyard about four years ago.
"Mike oversees the winery," Matson says. "We looked at new wineries opening and said, 'We can do that.' Everybody romanticizes about having a winery but since we opened in December 2002 we haven't worked so hard in our lives. But we love it."
When the couple purchased the vineyard, a deteriorating, weather worn ranch-style home was in the middle of the grounds. It didn't seem worth saving.
"Mike wanted to demolish it, and it was in bad shape," she said. "But I thought, 'With a little remodeling, this could be a bed and breakfast.' So I was given a budget, which I went over, and the finished product is Amorosa Inn and Gardens."
Amorosa Inn opened in the spring of 2003. A view of the Matson family vineyard is seen from each of the inn's bedrooms. Weeping willow trees and a pond accent the lush, floral gardens that frame the inn.
Along with overnight getaways or wedding or corporate packages, guests can enjoy a visit to the inn's wine tasting room, featuring bottles of Vino Con Brio's award-winning pinot grigio, zinfandel, syrah and sangiovese.
"It is not our goal to become mass producers of wine," Paula Jansen, of Jansen and Associates Marketing, who is in charge of coordinating events and special occasions at Amorosa Inn, says. "Our product is exquisite."
Matson says Vino Con Brio did its research and discovered Lodi's climate and soil are comparable to South Africa, which encouraged the couple to grow pinotage vines.
"Pinotage is South Africa's zinfandel," she says.
The winery's first pinotage harvest netted 5¼ tons of grapes. Its first wine from the pressing is a vivid purple, or cranberry hue with a fragrant berry, spice nose.
But, if white wine is a guest's pleasure Vino Con Brio can accommodate with its Lodi Pinot Gris, Lodi Sauvignon Blanc and Lodi Voignier.
With the Lodi wine industry getting overdue attention, Matson says they don't really want to be compared with Napa valley wineries.
"We want to keep the integrity of what Lodi is," she says.
And the winery as well as the inn gives visitors a sense of family warmth, unity and worth.
Call (209) 727-3678 or visit www.vinoconbrio.com.
"And passion means different things to people," she says. "We are passionate about our wines and the people we love. But we can also be passionate about life itself."
Long time residents of Lodi, the Matsons have been married 34 years and have three adult children who also take a keen interest in the family business.
Mike Matson is an orthodontist who took an interest in farming grapes about 25 years ago. Renae Matson's family has been farming grapes for decades and has about 400 acres of grapes in the Lodi area. The couple purchased their 25-acre vineyard about four years ago.
"Mike oversees the winery," Matson says. "We looked at new wineries opening and said, 'We can do that.' Everybody romanticizes about having a winery but since we opened in December 2002 we haven't worked so hard in our lives. But we love it."
When the couple purchased the vineyard, a deteriorating, weather worn ranch-style home was in the middle of the grounds. It didn't seem worth saving.
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But Matson's background as a psychotherapist and teacher honed in on the potential of the 3,500-square-foot, four-bedroom home."Mike wanted to demolish it, and it was in bad shape," she said. "But I thought, 'With a little remodeling, this could be a bed and breakfast.' So I was given a budget, which I went over, and the finished product is Amorosa Inn and Gardens."
Amorosa Inn opened in the spring of 2003. A view of the Matson family vineyard is seen from each of the inn's bedrooms. Weeping willow trees and a pond accent the lush, floral gardens that frame the inn.
Along with overnight getaways or wedding or corporate packages, guests can enjoy a visit to the inn's wine tasting room, featuring bottles of Vino Con Brio's award-winning pinot grigio, zinfandel, syrah and sangiovese.
"It is not our goal to become mass producers of wine," Paula Jansen, of Jansen and Associates Marketing, who is in charge of coordinating events and special occasions at Amorosa Inn, says. "Our product is exquisite."
Matson says Vino Con Brio did its research and discovered Lodi's climate and soil are comparable to South Africa, which encouraged the couple to grow pinotage vines.
"Pinotage is South Africa's zinfandel," she says.
The winery's first pinotage harvest netted 5¼ tons of grapes. Its first wine from the pressing is a vivid purple, or cranberry hue with a fragrant berry, spice nose.
But, if white wine is a guest's pleasure Vino Con Brio can accommodate with its Lodi Pinot Gris, Lodi Sauvignon Blanc and Lodi Voignier.
With the Lodi wine industry getting overdue attention, Matson says they don't really want to be compared with Napa valley wineries.
"We want to keep the integrity of what Lodi is," she says.
And the winery as well as the inn gives visitors a sense of family warmth, unity and worth.
Call (209) 727-3678 or visit www.vinoconbrio.com.
Brenda Meadows can be reached at brendam@goldcountrymedia.com.
