Vino Con Brio

room. "Wine with Passion" is the theme here, making the family-run operation inviting and relaxed. The red-tin-roofed tasting room looks out over a broad patio where wine and food events, weddings and community meetings are regularly held. There are a few boutique items for sale in their small gift shop. Outside is a covered space with heaters for chilly afternoons. Check out the ancient grape vines just off the patio entrance, or take a walk around the property to the duck pond beneath the expanse of shade trees. The winery and business office of Vino Con Brio are located in Lodi on nearby Turner Road. The tasting facility showcases the winery's Pinot Grigio, Petite Sirah, Passione Rose, a sparkling wine and a late-harvest Viognier. The 21-acre Amorosa Vineyard surrounds the site and is planted to 10 varietals (Muscat Canelli, Viognier, Pinot Grigio, Roussanne, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and a little Pinotage), allowing for a number of interesting red and white blends to sample. Unique to the area - and California is general - is Pinotage, a South African grape variety that makes wonderfully spiced, full-bodied red wine. (Vino Con Brio is the largest grower of this variety outside of South Africa.) With their old-vine Zinfandel grapes they also produce some rich and zesty Zinfandels.