Giovanni Borghese may seem like a gentle giant, but he’s a fighter if there ever were one. And we’re very certain his parents would be extremely proud of the work, quality and tenacity that is synonymous with Borghese Vineyards.
Ann Marie and Marco Borghese loved the North Fork. So much so, they bought the former Hargrave Vineyard in 1999, re-christened it Castello di Borghese and proceeded to spend 15 years realizing the dream of a lifetime: becoming proprietors of their very own namesake winery. But after digging in and building a respected brand on the North Fork and becoming deeply ingrained and embraced by the local community, a tragic twist of fate in July 2014 left Giovanni and his two siblings, Allegra and Fernando, reeling from the death of their parents.
Taking over wasn’t exactly in the plans for any of them, least of all Giovanni. He was just 28 years old and starting down his own path in the business world. But something inside wouldn’t let him walk away from his parents’ dream. Intelligent and savvy, Giovanni used his business acumen to devise a plan to buy out his siblings, as well as his parents’ other partners in the business. He sold some of the vineyard’s acreage then hatched a deal to lease it back, thus to keeping the long-standing vines in production but diverting the burden that comes along with land ownership.
Twelve years later, he is now the sole proprietor of Castello di Borghese. It’s a challenging life, to say the least, but it’s one that gives him the deep satisfaction of both honoring his parents’ legacy and forging his own path. He and his team, who include winemaker Allissa Goodale.
“Honoring my parents’ legacy for the past [12] years has been an extremely humbling experience,” he says. “I couldn’t be prouder of my team and myself to have gotten ourselves here.”
Who else is pulling out all the stops and bringing some serious savory (and sweet) bite and beverage action this year? Our list is growing by the minute:
- Aki’s Kitchen
- Atlantis Banquets & Events
- Bake Me Healthy
- Borghese Vineyards
- Casa J Tequila
- Cuisine By Colleen
- Fauna
- Flora
- Grace & Grit
- Goomba Johnny PIzza
- Jamesport Vineyards
- Justin’s Chop Shop
- Justin Vineyards
- Land and Sea Smokehouse
- Lewis Cellars
- Oysterponds Shellfish Co.
- Painters Restaurant
- Palmer Vineyards
- Paumanok Vineyards
- Pellegrini Vinyeards
- Poboy Brewery
- Sannino Vineyard
- Seaside Grill
- Seastar Ballroom
- Sweet Vegan
- Sydney’s “Taylor” Made Cuisine
- Take Two Brewery
- Tonino’s
- The Village Cheese Shop
- Twin Fork Beer Co.
- Westhampton Beach Brew & Grill
- Uncle Giuseppe’s
As is tradition, plenty of toe-tappin’, shoulder-swayin’ live tunes provided by funk master band In the Groove.
Tickets for the event start at $135 for general admission. This is a 21+ all-inclusive event.
