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Henry Belmonte and Madisyn Goerlitz
Henry Belmonte and Madisyn Goerlitz are here from VJB Cellars and Wellington Cellars, on a special podcast-only edition of California Wine Country, recorded last week on Jan. 20 on The Drive with Steve Jaxon, on Wine Country Radio.
Henry Belmonte and Steve Jaxon go way back together. Steve used to say he lived at Portofino on 4th Street. VJB Cellars in Kenwood is a place with a family story behind it. They made a migration from the restaurant industry to the wine industry, as a family business. After his brother’s passing, he named his winery after him by the initials VJB. They make wine but they are also still focused on hospitality and providing a great experience, environment and atmosphere. They apply the same philosophy to making wine.
Henry’s mother ran the kitchen at Portofino and also still directs the elaborate traditional Italian offerings at VJB Cellars.
VJB Cellars makes 95% Italian varietals. Wellington Cellars, their other winery down the road, focusses on French varietals. VJB has about 20 different Italian varietals, all of the ones that are popular in Italy. Some of them are very small runs, 200-300 cases. You have to be in the wine club to access these wines.
From Food to Wine
Belmonte’s Deli was their first venture into restaurants, in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. It was a springboard to open Portofino’s in Santa Rosa on Columbus Day in 1987.
VJB Cellars is like walking into a small town in Italy, with an expansive piazza with tables and chairs. There are storefronts, for the deli, tasting room, a Tommy Bahama boutique store and a chocolate and gelato shop. May 26, 2003 they opened their doors as a stand-alone tasting room. He knew he had to bring something they were really good at, into the shop to make it more attractive. It took about 7 or 8 years to build out the full operation, with all the feeling for hospitality, experience and entertainment along with the finest flavors.
Wellington Cellars came about when they outgrew their production facilities for VJB. He and his father found the Wellington property down the road which came up for sale. They were really just looking for production, but it turned out to be a bonus that the whole operation was already there.
Maria Gabriella Belmonte is Henry’s mother was the guiding force at Portofino and has the same role now at La Cucina and the Red Rooster Kitchen in Petaluma. She has passed her knowledge and insight over to Henry.
About That Italian Sausage Pizza
You can see all of that knowledge at work in the pizza that Henry has brought for Steve to taste, and in the pride that Henry takes in making it. It is an Italian Sausage pizza from Red Rooster Kitchen. They make their own dough from scratch. They also make their own pork sausage and their own sauce from fresh tomatoes. Everything is as fresh as it can be. The accolades for this pizza have come from far and wide.
Madisyn Goerlitz
Madisyn Goerlitz also tells about her role as Social Media manager for VJB Cellars and Wellington Cellars. She was a student at Sonoma State University and had to finish her last terms online during Covid. So her goal, which she has achieved, was to make it back to Sonoma County after all that. She is developing her role in hospitality and marketing and is “…happy to be part of the story.”