Drive three short miles northeast of Winters, just beyond the bustling historic downtown, and you’ll come to a barn that overlooks a field of ever-rotating crops, stretching beyond the view of the natural eye, dancing in the evening when the cool Delta Breeze whistles through. Depending on the time of day, the structure can appear a romantic fire hydrant red, bringing to mind the types of farms you see in big budget Hollywood films or in children’s picture books.
Or it can come across as a soft brown, blending in with the dry side of the westward Vaca Mountains, which funnel the Lake Berryessa watershed to farmers all over Yolo County down through Putah Creek. At sunset, light plays a trick on your eyes and the barn emits a sharp yellow as the massive almond tree from a neighboring property casts a shadow over the rustic brown gate that reads: “Turkovich Family Wines.”
Farming Love At First Sight
Out here, it’s a world away from the various corners of the globe where Chris Turkovich studied wine, but it’s just a few feet down Road 90A where he fell in love with agriculture as part of an ever-evolving third-generation farming family. Their father, Tony, managed the farming operations for the Button & Turkovich farms after following in the footsteps of his own father, Walter, who settled in Winters in 1958.
The elder Turkovich put his boys—Chris, older brother Mike, and younger brother Danny—to work early and often, redirecting the youngsters’ rowdy energy in the summers into producing a variety of wind-dancing crops like alfalfa, tomatoes, sunflowers, prunes and oranges. Like the crops, the kids moved through the family operation from the ground up, hoeing fields as 12-year-olds before moving into irrigation, then to operating the heavy machinery with the first transition proving the most difficult.
“We got like 10 cents an hour more, but it went from eight hours a day, five days a week to 12 hours a day, seven days a week,” Chris said. “It wasn’t much of a promotion.” Unlike his brothers, Chris knew from the moment he stepped out on the dirt on that first hot, dry summer, that this would be his life’s work. The backbreaking summers came and went but Chris never stopped picking the brains the experienced farmhands at Button & Turkovich until it was time for college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
By his senior year in 2006, Chris had developed a business plan to start a winery on the family farmland, earning an “A” on the plan after submitting it as his thesis in Cal Poly’s Wine and Viticulture program. But passing college with flying colors is different than asking your family to invest in a business that frequently loses money. “I didn’t even show (the plan) to my dad for six months and kept working on it, because I knew he was going to rip it apart,” Chris laughed. “And he did.”
That’s when Chris took the first of his three major trips abroad to study wine and work the harvest. It was out on the west coast of Chile in 2007 that Tony and mother Joanie finally approved Chris’ business plan, giving Chris two more years before he would be needed back in Winters to manage the day-to-day aspects of Turkovich Family Wines. So he departed on two more trips to learn as much as possible, using extended stays in Auckland, New Zealand, and a small town in South Australia, to perfect his expertise.
Growing The Turkovich Family
Chris expected to return from the 2009 visit down under with a new outlook on his business. What he didn’t expect was to return in love.
On the same hill in the valley Chris lived on that harvest was a second winery, where Luciana Moreno, daughter of famed Mendoza winemaker Norberto Moreno, worked while obtaining a degree in microbiology and chemistry. Their immediate relationship proved to be as ironic as it was unexpected: Luciana came to Australia in hopes of learning about new wine-making technologies, but arrived at a winery with the equivalent of Stone Age instruments.
Meanwhile, Chris came to learn about the business but ended up at a high-tech winery with state-of-the-art technology. While Chris honed his acumen with the spreadsheets, Luciana toiled away crushing grapes by hand. “I had big muscles,” she recalls. Added Chris: “It was easy hours for me, tough hours for her.” Only when their two wineries took work breaks for barbecues did Luciana get her reprieve, immediately warming up to Chris who is every bit as laid back as Luciana is fiery. “We make a perfect blend,” she likes to joke. More fortune followed the couple upon Chris’ return to the United States—Luciana was offered a position at a winery in Napa.
After alternating harvest seasons between the US and Argentina for several years, she married Chris and joined up with Turkovich Family Wines full time in 2012 to become the head winemaker. But none of this would have been possible without a successful launch back in 2009, when the couple were still unmarried and Chris’ wine still unknown. The goal wasn’t just to launch the wine though, it was to pull out all the stops and leave people with a lasting impression.
Today Turkovich Family Wines is a long cherished and popular Winters business, having spread its roots a little deeper with the opening of its second location: the Farm & Winery on Buckeye Road. Think vineyard views, golden-hour tastings, and seasonal celebrations—from fruit tree bloom tours in spring to harvest parties in fall. For those seeking a more personalized experience, the winery offers private tours and tastings by reservation, allowing guests to explore the vineyards and learn about the family’s commitment to sustainable farming and small-lot winemaking.
Whether you’re sipping in town or unwinding in the countryside, Turkovich Family wines offers two ways to savor the flavors (and magic) of Yolo County wine country.
Experience The Charm
The best way to try these locally crafted products is right in the heart of Winters’ historic downtown. The romantically-lit, quiet spot features most of the Turkovich varietals alongside pairings of locally sourced artisan foods. The facility is operated by a knowledgeable staff who are required to spend at least one day each year harvesting the grapes that eventually turn into the wines they pour. Check the Turkovich Family Wines website for exclusive seasonal events on their Buckeye Road farm and winery. For more info visit turkovichwines.com.
Check out the many hotels in Yolo County and book your wine getaway today. Download our podcast, “Indulge in the Authentic” and join us on an audio journey that explores the rich farm-to-table dining scene, exquisite local wines, and abundance of natural delights unique to our region.
