Who We Are
Although Luca has only released his Vini DiLuca brand of wines just 3 years ago, winemaking has always been a big part of his life.
Since he was 5 years old, he remembers helping his father, grandfather, and uncles make wine in the garage every October. He recalls making the trip the market, bringing the grapes home, and turning the crank on the manual grape crusher, as his father and grandfather dumped the the grapes in. As a kid, there was nothing better than drinking the super sweet grape juice as it poured out of the hand press.
When the wine was ready to bottle, Luca would hand cork the bottles as his father took care of the filtering, filling and labeling by hand. It was a hobby Luca enjoyed sharing with his father. Being able to taste the juice as it came out of the press, and eventually tasting the final product at the kitchen table, when his father Sal let him have some sips out of his glass.
Fast forward to 1998 in Cape May, NJ, when Salvatore Turdo purchased just over 5 acres of woods to begin his lifelong dream of planting his own vineyard, and owning a winery. As a 17 year old teenager, Luca, Sal's only son, helped his father clear out weeds and brush on weekends. When the ground was clear and ready to plant, Luca and Sal dug the first holes by hand, eventually using a tractor and auger to dig the rest. In the next 2 years, father and son, then proceeded to run the steel catch wires, nail up the wire clips, and hand plant the young vines.
Since then Luca has been fully immersed in the family business, eventually making it his full-time job and career beginning in 2007. He is committed to carrying on the legacy his father started and his goal is to one day establish Turdo Vineyards and Winery as the benchmark for all East Coast wineries and vineyards.
Over the years Luca has been working alongside his father, and continues to do so till this day. Slowly absorbing all the knowledge Sal has obtained over the many years of winemaking since he worked in a vineyard in Sicily at the age of 8. Luca is continually learning the intracasies of grape growing, and the true art of winemaking. Eventually branching out on his own to establish Vini DiLuca in 2010.
In his first vintage, Luca bottled just under 100 cases of 2 varieties. Today, Luca's yearly production is over 700 cases and boasts 5 varieties of wines, with a 6th variety to be released in the near future. His wines are now available in many restaurants and liquor stores in the South Jersey area.
Luca Turdo