Rocklin has so much high quality services and products to offer, it's no wonder that it's the home of the award winning wine, Cante Ao Vinho (means "sing to the wine" in Portuguese). But the wine is so much more than just an award winner, it represents the Portuguese culture, a culture whose roots in Placer County date back to the late 1800. Because I'm Portuguese (born on one of the Azores Islands), I was very excited to learn about Cante Ao Vinho's success and of course, to share all I learned about it with you. I hope by the time you've finished reading this, you'll understand why Cante Ao Vinho is a true gem.

For a Song and Dance

Despite our practice of quick assimilation into American culture, there are a few of our own traditions Portuguese people have hung onto throughout the generations. Whether someone immigrated in the early 1900s, as is the case with the Farinha family of Cante Ao Vinho or in the late 1960s, as is the case for me, wine is a big part of our culture. Like Cante Ao Vinho's owners, Tom and Frank Farinha, I grew up around the Lincoln CA area. During the 1970s and 1980s in our area, the Portuguese men in most families make the trip to Lodi, CA (way before Lodi was known for great wine) to buy a barrel full of grape juice per household. The goal being that each household would have its own wine. It should go without saying that there was some good-natured competition to decide which household ended up with the best wine for that year. Like any competition, it only can happen by comparing so there was always much sampling of each household's offerings. The sampling resulted in much revelry making and more than one evening would end with a song and a dance.

From Cow to Vine

The Farinha family of Lincoln were dairy farmers back when Lincoln was the home of several dairy farms. Frank Farinha along with his 19-year-old brother Tom, began their own wine-making journey with juice to wine trips to Lodi. At some point, they decided to make their own wine in the old-world style with their own vines. The Farinha brothers began taking wine making seriously and joined the Sacramento Home Winemaker's Club. They continued fueling their passion for winemaking by researching as much as they could on the art of making great wine and purchased land to plant a vineyard in 2003.

Great Wine is Made in Vineyards

It's the belief of old-world style wine makers that great wine is made in the vineyard and not in the winery. That's what inspired Frank and Tom to plant over 20 varietals in their vineyard and by 2009, the brothers became licensed to sell their wine. It was no time at all before they were part of the Wise Villa tasting room in Lincoln. In 2013, the brothers opened their own tasting room in Rocklin's Quarry District in the historical Barudoni building. I have to say; they couldn't have paired their wine with a building any better than with the Barudoni Building! Wow, what a great experience it is to sit and sip old-world style wine in an old-world building. It's truly a rich experience that you'll want to return for again and again. I'm told one of the things that hits a high note for those tasting wine at Cante Ao Vinho is the variety of wines offered. That's because the Farinha family vineyards have vines with origins from many parts of the world! But the beautiful experience is not just about the wine, although that is a huge part of it.

Share Wine and Have Fun

Cante Ao Vinho remains Farinha family owned and run so you feel the heart and soul of their ideals when you enter the gorgeous old building. Everywhere you look, there are hints of the past from the building itself to the Farinha family photos. You'll always encounter a Farinha family member working at the wine tasting bar and if you're as lucky as I was, it'll be slow enough that you'll be given a tour of the entire building. It's stunning, to say the least. Now if you aren't there on a slow day, it's okay because you'll be treated to live music and tons of fun conversation. That's because the Farinha family hold two ideals very dear to its heart that they offer at Cante Ao Vinho: they want to share their great wine and they want everyone to have fun during the sharing. That sounds just like the Portuguese wine-making era of so long ago. Well done, Farinha family for upholding that treasured Portuguese tradition! I invite you to partake in that tradition yourself and visit Cante Ao Vinho.

Storing Your Passion

If you're a home wine making enthusiast, self storage is a great solution for storing your wine making equipment while you're not busy using it to make your own delicious wine. At Stanford Ranch Self Storage, we strive to help each valued customer get the perfect unit for his or her storage needs so please come by and learn how we can help you too.

Cheers and Salute!

Cante Ao Vinho
5250 Front Street, Rocklin
(916) 824-2277
cante@canteaovinho.com