Giovanni Borghese may seem like a gentle giant, but he’s a fighter if there ever was one. And we’re very certain his parents would be extremely proud of the work, quality and tenacity that is synonymous with Borghese Vineyard.
Ann Marie and Marco Borghese loved the North Fork, so much so that they bought the former Hargrave Vineyard in 1999, re-christened it Castello di Borghese and proceeded to spend 15 years realizing the dream of a lifetime: becoming proprietors of their very own namesake winery. But after digging in and building a respected brand on the North Fork and becoming deeply ingrained and embraced by the local community, a tragic twist of fate in July 2014 left Giovanni and his two siblings, Allegra and Fernando, reeling from the death of their parents.
Taking over wasn’t exactly in the plans for any of them, least of all Giovanni. He was just 28 years old and starting down his own path in the business world, but something inside wouldn’t let him walk away from his parents’ dream. Intelligent and savvy, Giovanni used his business acumen to devise a plan to buy out his siblings, as well as his parents’ other partners in the business. He sold some of the vineyard’s acreage, then hatched a deal to lease it back, thus keeping the long-standing vines in production but diverting the burden that comes along with land ownership.
Twelve years later, he is now the sole proprietor of Castello di Borghese. It’s a challenging life, to say the least, but it’s one that gives him the deep satisfaction of both honoring his parents’ legacy and forging his own path along with his team, which includes winemaker Allissa Goodale.
“Honoring my parents’ legacy for the past [12] years has been an extremely humbling experience,” he says. “I couldn’t be prouder of my team and myself to have gotten ourselves here.”
See the vineyard and taste the greatness yourself at Northforker Wine & Food Classic on Sept. 3 at Borghese Vineyard (17150 County Road 48, Cutchogue, 631-734-5111).
Who else is pulling out all the stops and bringing some serious savory (and sweet) bite and beverage action this year? Our list is growing by the minute:
- Art of Eating
- Balo’s Foods
- Borghese Vineyards
- DJ Chef
- Ficarra Ristorante
- Goomba Johnny’s Pizzeria
- Grace & Grit
- La Plage
- Land and Sea Smokehouse
- Oysterponds Shellfish Co.
- R.AIRE
- Seaside Grill
- The Catered Fork
- The Pike
- The Treatery
- The Village Cheese Shop
- Uncle Giuseppe’s
- Kidd Squid Brewing Co.
- Po’Boy Brewery
- Take Two Brewery
- Twin Fork Beer Co.
- Übergeek Brewing
- Borghese Vineyard & Winery
- Chronicle Wines
- Harbes Vineyard
- Jamesport Vineyards
- JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery
- Mattebella Vineyards
- Palmer Vineyards
- Paumanok Vineyards
- Pellegrini Vineyards
- Sannino Vineyards
- Casa J Tequila
- Fort Hamilton Distillery
- Twisted Cow Distillery
As is tradition, plenty of toe-tappin’, shoulder-swayin’ live tunes provided by funk master band In the Groove.
Tickets for the event start at $135 for general admission and may be obtained here. This is a 21+ all-inclusive event.
