Castillo de Feliciana Vineyard And Winery

Open: Year-round

Castillo de Feliciana Vineyard & Winery is named after my great Aunt, Feliciana. However, when I was a little girl growing up I only knew her as Aunt Tana or Tia Tana. She was the sister to my grandfather on my mom's side. She lived alone most of her life. She was married to a Spaniard but did not have children. My mom used to take us to visit her when we were little. She didn't speak very much English. When we'd visit, she somehow knew that my brother and I were bored and would tell us to go and get gum from her purse (a little black purse she kept in her bedroom). I remember the scent of that purse. It smelled like roses (floral) from her face powder, fruity - from the Juicy fruit gum, a little musty because it was old, a little bit of tobacco (although my mom says she never smoked), and of course it smelled of leather.

All these scents would come back to me when I started drinking wine. I'd smell a wine, mostly red wine, and I'd tell my husband and that it had an "old lady purse" smell, meaning that it smelled like my aunt's purse. At that moment I'd be full of memories of her. I can remember her small house and her living room and my younger sister's staying really close to my mom while my brother and I would go off and look through her purse for gum. I'd remember the times she'd sew new Easter dresses for us. She made my three younger sisters dresses in the same style, except different colors. Mine would be slightly different because I was the oldest. I remember one time finding a few droplets of blood on the hem of my dress where she had pricked her finger while sewing it. I'm sure she was rushing to get them finished in time for the Holiday. I'd remember her and these times over and over again when I'd drink red wine.

So, when Sam and I decided to pursue this wine venture, we were considering names and being of Spanish decent we wanted a Spanish name. We thought of many but none of them fit. One day, I mentioned to Sam that my Aunt Tana's name was Feliciana and we both knew then that's what we wanted to name our winery. A name that pays tribute to my kind and loving aunt. She never had her own children but maybe now her name can be carried on through our winery - Castillo de Feliciana which also, when translated means "Castle of Happiness."