About Us
Originally opened in 1889 on what was part of the La Cañada de San Bernardo Spanish land grant, the Bernardo Winery is considered the Oldest Continuously Operating Winery in Southern California and one of the oldest wineries in country.
The original founders of Bernardo Winery, the Lanza and Licata families, built the winery in what they considered to be one of the finest places to grow grapes and make wine in Southern California. Nestled in a quaint valley that supplied water only a few feet under the ground, pristine mellow slopes and a location perfectly suited to build a winery that was dependent on gravity to move the product, the valley that is now in North Poway, would prove to be a very productive and wonderful place.
Bernardo has become, over the years, not only a fully productive San Diego winery, but a destination for wine lovers and tourism visitors alike.
THE RIZZO FAMILY
Back in 1927, while on a hunting trip in the tall sagebrush of North County San Diego, Vincent Rizzo came across a large production winery for sale. He saw the opportunity and purchased the winery for his family to begin what would become an endearing journey and labor of love. During Prohibition, Vincent diversified, pressing olive oil from the Olive trees that also grew on the property, and selling that to the San Diego Tuna canning industry. He also sold sacramental wine to the Catholic church and grape juice that some say would ferment by the time you reached the end of the long dusty driveway.
Now in their third generation, the Rizzo Family, work alongside a great cast of characters to make Bernardo Winery the destination it is today. The goal is and always has been to share wine, food and good times together. The landscape has changed over the years, but the family's dedication to preserving history, producing good wine and welcoming guests has remained the same. Along with our wines, guests can enjoy our rustic Old-California/Sicilian dining menu, that sprung from Grandpa Vincent's tried and true Sicilian recipes. Guests are also delighted with our many artists and shops strewn around the winery courtyard.
