THAT'S AMORE

Living the Dream with the Fiorellis

By Rebecca Robinson • Photos by Rod Millington

Skin bronzed by decades in the Florida sun, his accent washed into a soft lull, Antonio Fiorelli is the prototypical Italian winemaker in an atypical setting. Driving along State Road 70, miles from city limits, one expects orange trees and tomato farms, cow pastures and spurts of prairie land. What one may not expect is the Rosa Fiorelli Winery: a 10-acre plot of Sicily on the Manatee County border.

As I sit across from Antonio and listen to him tell his story, I am struck by the purity of his dream. The American Dream resonates deeply within Antonio, who sees exhausting, callous-building work as the path to success. From an 11-year-old boy working in a commercial Sicilian winery to a 62-year-old man selling handcrafted Florida wines, Antonio has labored his entire life. With his wife by his side and his now grown children watching from afar, Antonio lives his dream born more than 30 years ago.

Antonio Fiorelli departed Sicily for America in 1974, leaving his parents, siblings, and homeland in pursuit of opportunity. Three months of winter in New York found Antonio longing for warmer climates and smitten with his new bride, Rosa. Rather than return to the North after their honeymoon in Florida, Rosa and Antonio stayed in Miami, where Antonio found work in a restaurant washing dishes.

From these humble beginnings Antonio climbed; in 1980, just six years after first stepping onto American soil, Antonio became operating partner for a new restaurant in Manatee County. Rosa and Antonio’s move from Miami to the west coast of Florida commenced an almost 20-year career in restaurant operations. Antonio parted from his initial business partner to become owner/operator of his own venture, Antonio’s Pizza. Financial success in the 16-year operation of Antonio’s Pizza encouraged him to search for investments outside the restaurant realm, and 10 acres of undeveloped land east of the interstate beckoned. What was initially just a sound financial investment became a physical haven for the couple’s growing family. Antonio removed his wife and three children from an increasingly turbulent city neighborhood to live in their new home in the heart of Florida farmland, surrounded by acres of tomato farms, cow pastures, and orange groves. A generations-deep love of winemaking helped Antonio find his niche in local agriculture.

From his earliest memories, Antonio recalls the communal aspect of winemaking that pervaded his small Sicilian town. Picked by family and pressed by hand, bottled for consumption with friends and neighbors, the grapes and subsequent wines were produced with love and for barter, but rarely for profit. In Sicily, the Fiorelli family grew white wine varietals such as Insolia and Zibibbo, grapes suited to Sicily’s Mediterranean climate and rugged terrain. Nurtured by Italian soils to produce wines with complex aromatics, vibrant minerality and acidity, Insolia and Zibibbo thrive in Italy, but would flounder in Florida’s climate and terrain. With his love for white wine and his entrepreneurial drive, Antonio attended a handful of viticulture seminars in hopes of finding grape varietals that would prosper under the Florida sun. He left the University of Florida and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with a few hundred cuttings of vines foreign to him but familiar to Florida soil.

Carrying multiple clones of three main varietals, Muscadine, Blanc du Bois, and Red Conquistador, Fiorelli transformed his plot of land into vineyards and entered into a new phase that would fulfill his entrepreneurial dreams. After almost a decade of experimentation, Antonio narrowed his selection by focusing on which clones produced the highest quality fruit for his vineyards. The Rosa Fiorelli Winery currently sells 11 wines of varying sweetness, hue, and varietal composition. Some are single varietal bottlings, such as Fiorelli’s Blanc du Bois Brut, that provide a direct expression of Antonio’s vineyards, whereas others are composed of juice from Antonio’s vines blended with juice purchased from California wineries.

Antonio shares his passion for winemaking with everyone from his grape-growing peers to the thoroughly untrained. He is the current president of a local grape-growing chapter that offers classes and seminars in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Lincoln Middle School now has a small vineyard, where Antonio contributes vine cuttings and time to foster the fledgling viticulturists. Keiser Community College culinary students assist during the harvest to learn firsthand the science of the vine and the artistry of winemaking.

When Antonio is not donating his time or knowledge to the local community, he gives back through the vineyards. He nurtures the soil from which the vines feed by using organic concentrate, minimal amounts of fungicide, and zero pesticides. A small garden of fruits and vegetables sustains his family, and Antonio sells olive oil, jams, jellies, and hand-dipped chocolates from local artisans through his tasting room door.

Sixty-two years of age with no plans for retirement in the future, Antonio knows not whether one of his children or grandchildren will assume the reins of his beloved adventure. He merely hopes that whoever has the winery next will carry on his passion and ideals.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE MUSCADINE GRAPE Provided by Corista Williams, RD, LD, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center clinical nutrition manager According to researchers at North Carolina State University and Dr. Betty Ector of Mississippi State University, muscadine grapes provide greater health benefits than other grapes because they contain 40 times more antioxidants. Not only are muscadine grapes rich in antioxidants, specifically resveratrol and ellagic acid, but they are fat-free and considered a good source of fiber. The abundance of natural antioxidants found in muscadine grapes may slow the effects of aging and possibly extend life by reducing the risk of several age-related diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and arthritis. Muscadine grapes are found in several forms of products on the market such as juice, wine, jellies, jams, preserves, syrups, and dessert toppings.

RECIPE

mi Pueblo’s Organic Sangria Feliz Roja