The Fruits of His Labor
Winemaker finds his niche

by Rita Papazian

Without even realizing it, Fairfielder Tony Izzo is part of a trend. He is a man who has carved out a space for himself a place between work and home. And, according to author Sam Martin, what men do in their own spaces are as important as the spaces themselves. "Hobbies and professions are realized there as are friends and games," wrote Martin in his book "Manspace: A Primal Guide to Marking Your Territory" just published by Taunton Press.

Izzo, the president and owner of Black Rock Vintners, is among the men featured in "Manspace." He also owns AFI Inc., a commercial real estate development company at 2150 Post Road. Izzo the winemaker has marked his space in a massive commercial building at the end of Burr Court in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. That is Izzo's "manspace." He has turned his hobby of winemaking into a second profession.

The fruits of his labor are evident within the two levels of the building, owned by his cousin, Joe Palmieri. In a few weeks, when the vineyard in Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, Calif., ships the 600 pounds of grapes east, Izzo's Black Rock Vintners begins the "crush" that starts the 18-month process that will culminate in handcrafted bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. The company sells the wine through its Web site at blackrockvintners.com. "I grew up around people making wine," said Izzo, as he and his director of marketing, Timothy Topalian led a tour of the cavernous building that houses the vats where the grape fermentations take place and the two dozen oak barrels where the wine is aged.

The Bridgeport facility is quite a step up for Izzo, who for more than 25 years had been making wine with family and friends in the basement of his house. The basement, according to author Martin, is one of the more popular spots for a man's space. However, the basement proved confining for Izzo as his hobby, reflective of his Italian heritage, drew more and more of his attention and passion. "I outgrew the basement," he said. As he continued to give his attention to winemaking, he began to realize his hobby was becoming a second business. He learned that making wine required technical expertise. Besides, when he was making wine as a hobby he was giving away the bottles -- a nice gesture, but costly.

When his cousin bought the Bridgeport building, he decided to come up from the basement and turn his hobby into a business. He relocated his winemaking to Bridgeport where he makes, bottles and stores it. He began to study the grape industry and learned the difference among grapes and vineyards. He began attending winemaking events and became educated not only about grapes but also the equipment necessary for winemaking. He hired a professional winemaker, Wayne Stitzer, a consultant and owner of Winetecc, an analytical service for home winemakers based in Morris.

In April, Izzo celebrated Black Rock Vintners' first Release and Tasting Event at the Black Rock Yacht Club. The event marked its first commercially available vintage 6,000 bottles produced from 9 tons of primo Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Alexander Valley. The wine bottle is marked with a classic photo of the Black Rock Fayerweather Lighthouse set on a black and gold label with a splash of red for its wine contents. In addition to the inaugural launch party, the wine has been featured at a variety of charity and wine tasting events.

For Izzo, who plans to produce a white wine in the near future, his hobby has led to his meeting many wonderful people in the industry. He described them as "outgoing, open and helpful. They are very unique. They like to learn. They like to talk about their wine." Black Rock Vintners wine is sold online at www.blackrockvintners.com.

(c) 2006 Fairfield Citizen-News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.