//hide content

Castello di Amorosa


6/17/2016	Vacaville, CA Castello di Amorosa
Since we were in the Napa Valley area, a winery tour was inevitable. The winery we chose offered a lot more than just a tour of making wine. The Castello de Amorosa is found in a castle. The castle is a replica of a Tuscan castle where tiles, hardware and other items were imported from Europe castle reclamation yards for authenticism. Artisans from Europe were brought is to insure the accuracy of the arches and other architectural details. The only thing not real about the castle is an inner steel structure for safety from earthquakes.
click on pictures to enlarge
	Long drive in as the castle is on the top of a hill.

click on images to enlarge	click on images to enlarge	click on images to enlarge
	Towers and arches.
	For authenticity, the construction varies as an old castle as they were built over a period of 100 years and methods change over time. Note the chapel is different from the buildings on each side.
click on images to enlarge

	A view from one of the towers.
click on images to enlarge		click on images to enlarge
	Our tour guide was incredibility knowledgeable about the castle as well as the wine making process.
	Wine storage was everywhere in the maze of passageways. Not all the wine belonged to Castello, some is stored for other vineyards.
click on images to enlarge
	To maintain the accuracy of the castle, an armory room was present with some replica and some historic arms and armor. There also was a dungeon with real devices used to torture people in the olden days.

click on images to enlarge	click on images to enlarge	click on images to enlarge
	The main wine storage room is 12,000 square feet with authentic architectural arches for the ceiling.
	As with all good wine tours, there was tasting at the end. Again, the knowledge of our guide made the sampling a better venture. We did buy some wine.
click on images to enlarge
	Details outside like inside.
	As a normal castle, there is livestock. Below are shots of the grapevines.
click on images to enlarge		click on images to enlarge


click on images to enlarge