Fourth-generation winemaker Luciana Moreno Turkovich grew up in Mendoza, Argentina, and has always been part of the wine industry with her family. She enjoys the process of fermentation and watching the transformation of food turning into wine, and decided to follow in her dad’s footsteps.

“I’m a four-generation winemaker,” Luciana said. “Growing up in Mendoza, my great-grandparents are all viticulturists. My dad is a renowned sparkling wine consultant and winemaker in Argentina, consulting with more than 85% of all the wineries in the country. For me, being in the wine industry was like a normal thing. I thought that everybody has a vineyard and a winery because I grew up in it, but I’m the only one from my family who is still in the business.”

In 2009, she and her husband, Chris Turkovich, met in Argentina while taking a viticulture program after college. Luciana graduated in Food Science with a specialization in Wine, Wine Microbiology, and Chemistry from the University of Don Bosco in Mendoza, Argentina. Chris, a third-generation Winters native, farmer, and owner, attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he earned a degree in Wine & Viticulture.

The vineyard was planted in 2007, and its first official harvest took place in 2010. After her program, she was offered a job in Napa and simultaneously worked with Chris, studying and attempting to establish the winery.

In 2012, she left her job in Napa to focus entirely on the family-owned winery, Turkovich Family Wines.

“By then, I was helping Chris make the wine, because my knowledge is in enology, and his knowledge is in viticulture, and between the both of us, we started making our wine focus on the quality of the Yolo County fruit,” Luciana said.

Turkovich Family Wines produces 23 distinct wines, spanning a range from white to red and sparkling varieties. One of their most popular wines is called The Boss, which includes a blend of Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec.

Another popular option is their white wine, Albariño, which has scored 97 points in the LA Times wine competition and was named Best of Show. Turkovich Wines also offers popular sparkling wines, including their Blanc de Blancs and Sparkling Rosé NV, as well as Rosé.Luciana shared that everything is made at her winery, as they have a full laboratory.

“Everything that we make is made here at the winery,” Luciana said. “We don’t send things out, we don’t make any wine outside our facility, and we have a full laboratory, where we run all our quality control analysis and our harvest analysis, and we do everything at the winery. I love working with micros and chemistry. I just want to ensure that my wine and barrels are all safe. What we put in the bottle, we think, is up to the highest quality in Yolo County.”

Luciana mentiones that being located in Winters is really special for them.

“What makes us unique is that we are a really small town. All the businesses here are owned by members of the town, and are owned by people who have been here for more than two generations,” Luciana said. “You just walk into their restaurants, and you will see the people who own them. You will see them living in Winters for many generations, and most of the people who own the businesses went to college, lived in different countries, and then decided to come back to Winters because it’s the greatest town to be.”

Turkovich Wines offers a Wine Club where members can sign up to receive seasonal wine shipments, complimentary tastings, 20% off case purchases, 15% off wine & cheese purchases, 15% off merchandise, access to members-only winery & vineyard events, quarterly newsletter and recipes, and first and las access to all wine releases.

Luciana shared that they will soon reintroduce some wines that were previously unavailable due to grape supply constraints, as well as release their 2024 Albariño and Rosé wines.

Turkovich Wines will be part of the Yolo County Wine Ramble event in downtown Winters on April 26 and 27. They will also have a Mother’s Day brunch and pick-up party at their winery on Saturday, May 10, a pizza night on Thursday, May 22, and a Barrel Tasting Event on Saturday, May 31.

In June, they will host their Music at the Winery event, Paint and Sip, and additional activities.

Turkovich Family Wines has a tasting room in downtown Winters at 304 Railroad Ave. They are open Sunday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Their farm and winery are located at 30471 Buckeye Road and are open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information about events or a list of their wines, visit https://turkovichwines.com/.