Open: Year Round
About Us:
"I like to make wines that are elegant and have good balance. My style of wine has forward fruit that carries to the mid-palate and a long sustained finish. I like to use the oak to enhance the varietal identity of the wine and not mask it. Wines that are jammy and alcoholic are not my style."
As an inventor and new food product developer, Chaim Gur-Arieh spent 35 years preparing himself for the role of winemaker at C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery.Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Chaim immigrated to Israel as a teenager. After completing his military service as an officer in a tank division, Chaim studied at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering. Soon after, Chaim moved to the United States to continue his education at the University of Illinois where he earned a Masters and a Ph.D. in Food Science with minors in Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering.Chaim then joined the Quaker Oats company where he helped develop the breakfast Cereal Cap'n Crunch. He moved to California to become Director of New Products at Del Monte Corporation where he created an array of new products including "Pudding Cups", "Gel Cups", "Yogurt Cups", etc. In 1974 Chaim married Elisheva and founded Food Development Corporation, where he developed numerous new products including Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing, Power Bars and Wine Coolers. In 1980, Chaim merged Food Development Corporation with California Brands Flavors, his newly created flavor company. Over the next 18 years Chaim transformed California Brands Flavors into a major West Coast flavor company.In 1998, Chaim and Elisheva sold their flavor company to Mane & Fils, an international flavor company and went on to pursue their life-long dream of creating world class wines. In his new role as Winemaker, Chaim developed his innovative "Dual Compartment Submerged Cap Fermentation Tank" (patent pending) which he uses to craft his delicious red wines. Chaim's wines are highly extracted, soft and elegant - a perfect match to fine cuisine.
