by Fred McMillin for February 13, 1998 Winery of the Week Valentine Wine Prologue Cupid was the son of the Roman god of war, Mars, and the goddess of love, Venus. A wound from one of his arrows made a person fall in love. ...P.C., "World Book" Our winery's name, Arciero, means "archer" in Italian. Our logo features a Roman archer. ...Arciero Winery Newsletter The Rest of the Story Not far from where Cupid and his parents were so revered, the city of Rome, Giovanni Arciero quietly pressed his grapes and dreamed of coming to America. Clearly he had been struck by one of cupid's arrows, for he and wife Cristina had four strapping young sons. Ultimately, they did reach America (Detroit). Later, brothers Phil and Frank moved on to California, established a successful cement contracting business, and looked for a place to put the profits. Then Frank saw the rolling hills of Paso Robles that reminded him of his hometown south of Rome, and its vineyards. The Arciero Winery was born! It was 1983. The Wines Since I was struck by cupid's arrow many years ago, and still have the same Valentine, I'm serving her an Arciero (arch-ee-air-oh) Chardonnay on Valentine's Day. It's won a number of awards for being a good wine at a good price. If you prefer a red, critic James Halliday called the Zinfandel "superb." Also, my panel gave high marks to the Sangiovese, a grape that arrived from Italy about 30 years before Giovanni did. As expected, the winery is showing a deft hand with it. Just the Facts Name   Arciero Winery Location   Paso Robles, CA Winery Founded 1985 Vineyard 500 acres; widest planted is Chardonnay. Capacity   Over 100,000 cases annually; 78,000 sq. ft. Co-owner & General Manager Kerry Vix Contact & Phone   Renee Wiebe (805) 239-2562 Postscript Those Cupid arrows were very reliable. In fact, he pricked himself with one and promptly fell in love with a mortal princess named Psyche. The romance looked doomed, since gods and mortals were not allowed to mix...but luckily, Cupid got a waiver so they could live happily ever after. And that's our Valentine story. Note: For more about the winery, see WineDays of September 8, 1997 and November 18, 1997. About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.	WineDay Annex More articles by Fred McMillin Welcome to WineDay, the electronic Gourmet Guide's daily update. Monday through Thursday, WineDay presents a wine profile. Then on Fridays we present the Winery of the Week to take you through the weekend Current WineDay 1997 WineDays January WineDays 02/12/98 Lincoln State Dinner 02/11/98 "Foulweather Jack" 02/10/98 Botrytis the Beautiful 02/09/98 Chalk Talk 02/06/98 Winery of the Week Menada of Bulgaria 02/05/98 Something's New Under the Sun 02/04/98 The Meritage Debate 02/03/98 A Musqué to Remember 02/02/98 Toast to Februarius
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