Castello di Amorosa

Tour the authentically-styled, 13th century, Tuscan castle and winery.  Tours are led by a knowledable guide. All tours feature a barrel tasting, and include a complimentary tasting of our current releases. Opened to the public in January, Castello di Amorosa, just south of Calistoga in the Napa Valley, is a perfect replica of a European castle, from the hand-chiseled stone, to the 60-foot defense tower, to a torture chamber supplied with genuine torture devices. Fortunately, you arenít likely to criticize the wines. Amorosa produces high-end wines, sold only from its winery cellars. Learn about the importance of microclimate, even within the same vineyard, cover crops and soil types as well as what makes Napa Valley and the Castello di Amorosa vineyards unique. Please bring a hat, sunglasses and good hiking shoes for this 1 hour vineyard tour followed by a tasting of the wines made from the Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese vines you were just amongst. The torture chamber has an authentic 300-year-old iron maiden which Sattui states he bought for $13,000 in Pienza, Italy, a replica rack, prison chambers and other torture devices. The great hall features frescoes painted by two Italian artists who took about a year and a half to complete and showcases a 500 year old fireplace. The masonry, ironwork and woodwork was fashioned by hand using old world crafting techniques. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, in addition to paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles and some 850,000 bricks imported from Europe. Extending into the hillside adjacent to the castle lies a labyrinth of caves some 900 feet in length. Beneath the castle are a 2-acre barrel cellar and tasting rooms where visitors can sample the wines-all sold only at the Castle. Due to Napa County restrictions, the castle and grounds cannot be rented for weddings or receptions, but are available to rent for corporate gatherings and fund raisers. In May 2012 the county ordered the winery to cease holding a weekly Catholic Mass in the chapel located on the grounds due to lack of use permits, reviews by county agencies, including traffic and building code compliance. The services were among just a few in the area where Catholics could attend a traditional Latin Mass.