Avanguardia Wines

A small (actually ultra-boutique) winery, we are the home of non-traditional blended wines, with the great majority of our wines being proprietary blends crafted from 2-6 different grape varieties, many of which are Italian, and all of which are pretty much out of the mainstream.

Avanguardia does not much use the more common varietals, like Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Chardonnay. Our flagship white wine, CRISTALLO, features a grape from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in Eastern Europe. Our most unique red, AMPIO, combines the UC-patented cross Carmine with the NE Italian Refosco for a taste sensation that is uniquely different. Our newest blend, TRE “T”, after the three international varieties used(Teroldego, Tempranillo, and Tannat) is a wine of deep color and great substance, already recognized with Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle competition.

Our emphasis is always on balance, with just the right amount of alcohol, acidity, tannin or oak, avoiding contemporary trends towards excess in these areas; in some ways our wines are more like Europe than California.

Dare to be different and try us out—you won’t be disappointed!