Fruit of the vine
A winery grows in Bridgeport

AMANDA CUDA acuda@ctpost.com

The word "winery" conjures images of sun-soaked vineyards, bursting with grapes. It makes one think of big, rustic buildings in which the juice of these grapes sits happily fermenting into wine. Perhaps it even invokes images of Paul Giamatti awkwardly romancing Virginia Madsen in the oenophile classic "Sideways." But there's one image that would probably never pop to mind upon hearing the word "winery." That would be the image of a lumbering, industrial-looking building in Bridgeport. Tony Izzo, owner of Black Rock Vintners is well aware that no one associates the city with fine wines. But he's working toward changing that. He opened Black Rock Vintners on Burr Court in 2003, and has already produced two vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, the first of which is commercially available.

Izzo, 59, of Fairfield, said he knows the presence of a winery in Bridgeport seems incongruous. His marketing manager Timothy Topalian, 49, of Milford, describes it more plainly."People always have that initial reaction — 'Wine? In Bridgeport?' " Topalian said. "But when they learn more about it, they're kind of like 'Oh, that's interesting.' " Izzo opened the winery after more than 20 years of amateur winemaking. Growing up in an Italian family, Izzo said wine has long been a part of his life. "Most of my relatives drank wine at mealtime — it was kind of a European thing," he said.

It was Izzo's uncle, John Palmer of Westport, who first taught him how to make wine. Palmer, who died two years ago in his early 90s, walked his nephew through the basics of the process. The two worked together for about four years, with Izzo experimenting with different grapes and techniques. His goal, he said, was to make a wine with a little less punch than his uncle's creations."I was interested in something less potent," Izzo said. "I wouldn't even call what he made wine. It was a drink that they called wine." As his uncle got older, Izzo took over their winemaking enterprise, and set up operations in his home. This whole time, Izzo had only been producing the wine for family and friends. "I gave it away," he said. "It was mostly a social thing." But demand was so great, he decided to go professional, despite already having a career as a real estate developer. Balancing his new job with his old has been a challenge, Izzo said.
"It's fun in one way, but a lot of work in another way," he said.

The winery's current home appears modest and unglamorous from the outside. Except for a small sign with the business's name on the building's doors, there are no clues as to the structure's purpose. However, once inside, it's obvious that Izzo is up to some serious winemaking. Huge metallic structures called fermenters — in which the grape juice turns into wine — sit downstairs. Not far away are rows of barrels containing the winery's 2005 vintage, which will be ready for bottling some time next year.

Thus far, Izzo has only made Cabernets. He likes the flavor, calling it a "full-bodied, big wine." He said in the last two vintages, the wines have been made up of 85 percent Cabernet grapes, and 15 percent of other grapes. In the 2004 vintage, it was Merlot, and in the 2005 it was Shiraz.
Izzo said the winery might someday expand into making white wines or other varieties of red but "we want to see how this works."
A new crop of grapes should arrive later this month, and the process will begin anew. Izzo has no professional staff at the winery, though he does often receive help during the winemaking process from various friends and relatives.

Every season, he purchases 10 tons of grapes from the Handal Vineyard in Sonoma County, Calif. He said he imports the grapes from the West Coast because, "I don't think we can grow the best grapes here in the East." Once the grapes arrive, they're de-stemmed, crushed and the winemaking process begins. Izzo said it takes about 16 to 18 months to turn a crop of grapes into wine ready for bottling. The 2004 crop produced 6,000 bottles of wine, enough for 500 cases.
About 30 percent of the 2004 wine has been sold, mostly to organizations planning fundraisers. The winery recently donated some of its product to the Connecticut Audubon Society for a recent golfing fundraiser. Society President Bob Martinez said he's tasted the wine and thinks highly of it. "I thought it was a first-rate wine," Martinez said. He also likes the idea that the wine is locally produced, and think it represents a "great opportunity" for the region.

Black Rock Vintners wine is also sold online through the winery's Web site. It's not available at liquor stores yet, but Izzo and Topalian said that's their next step.
Meanwhile, the two are already creating some buzz for their business. The winery is featured in the new book, "Manspace: A Primal Guide to Marking Your Territory" (Taunton Press, $24.95). The book, by Texas-based author Sam Martin, features "manly" sanctuaries, such as bachelor pads, rec rooms and the like. Izzo and Black Rock Vintners ended up being featured because someone he knew at the publishing company recommended including the winery in the book.
Even before the book, which just came out, the winery has been catching on, said Izzo and Topalian. "People in Black Rock are really interested in this winery," said Izzo. Topalian said that's because the business is somewhat unique, and something locals can be proud of."I think its appeal is that it's a local wine," he said. "It's different than what a lot of other people are doing."