The Family
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Mike and Diane Naggiar |
It all began when Mike took an early retirement from Hewlett Packard after a 32 year career in marketing and sales. Looking for a second challenge, Mike and his wife Diane decided to turn their passion for their small Bay Area vineyard into a full time business and become growers of top quality premium wine grapes.
After a three year search of Northern California for suitable vineyard property, the Naggiars discovered the Sierra Foothills where ideal grape growing conditions, reasonable land prices and a great living environment persuaded them to act upon their dream. They sold their property in the Bay Area and moved to their newly acquired 160 acres in Grass Valley where they settled to build a new life and the grape growing business.
Working with a viticulture consultant, Mike and Diane planted 50 acres
of vineyards in 1998 and over the next six years learned the wine grape
growing business. They successfully sold each year's crop to discriminating
wineries in Napa, Sonoma and the Sierra Foothills, thereby establishing
a reputation for being one of the top quality, premium wine grape growers
in the region.
During the early years of Naggiar Vineyards, Mike and Diane would often
be visited by family and friends curious about their new Sierra Foothills
rural lifestyle and grape growing business. Extended family and friends
from as far away as Canada, Europe and Australia would visit their home
and marvel at the breathtaking beauty of living in the vineyards, the
rural setting of the Sierra Foothills and the country charm of the Gold
Country towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley. Thanksgiving and Christmas
holidays would find their vineyard home filled with family and friends
enjoying the warmth and friendship that comes from being close to loved
ones during those special holidays.
Before long, several family members decided to make the Sierra Foothills area their permanent home. In 2001, Tony, Mike's nephew and his wife Linda moved their family from Montreal, Canada to Grass Valley. They purchased adjacent land and built their home next to the vineyard.
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Linda,Tony, Alyssa and Tanya |
Shawn, Mary, Charles & Freddy |
In 2002, Mike and Diane's son Shawn and his wife Mary
decided to relocate their family from San Jose, California to neighboring
Rocklin, a 35 minute drive from the vineyards. They also purchased land adjacent to the vineyard and built a home and moved in 2008.
By early 2003, as the now expanded family got together for weekend and holiday meals, the subject of starting a family winery gathered momentum. After all why not! The family had excellent quality grapes from the estate vineyards. There were now several family members eager to participate, at the very least on the wine tasting end! Even though everyone knew it would be hard work, the lifestyle and enjoyment of living in the vineyards and making wine would be hard to beat!
So as the story goes the Naggiar Vineyards and Winery was born! As a family owned and operated wine business we are dedicated to producing exciting and delicious handcrafted wines from our estate vineyards. We are also dedicated to making your experience of buying and enjoying our wines a memorable one for you, your family and friends.
