Turning Grief Into Wine and a Lasting Legacy

A retired winemaker’s wisdom leads to a thriving winery in Half Moon Bay.

Welcome to my newsletter themed at the intersection of longevity and wine history. 🍷

2005: Winemakers Mario Gemello & Paul Obester at Mario’s 89th birthday

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Like many Italian immigrants, one of John Gemello’s passions was gardening. But some time in his senior years, perhaps in his eighties, he stepped on a pitchfork in the garden, striking his knee. That painful injury never seemed to let up, worsening over time, especially when the retired winemaker would kneel in his garden.

“Knee replacement surgery wasn’t common [in 1975], but it would have done wonders for him,” Sandy Obester, his granddaughter and my cousin, told me recently.

Sandy and her husband Paul lived in an Eichler-designed house in Palo Alto in 1975. After adding a new bedroom, they agreed to have Sandy’s grandfather move in with them.

At 93, Gemello was often depressed. He had just lost his wife of 70 years. And now, he could no longer engage in the hobby that brought him joy.

One day, Sandy proposed a project to inspire and engage him.

“Grandpa, why don’t you make a barrel of wine?”

That idea intrigued him. Sandy grew up in the 1940s and ‘50s in a house on the Gemello Winery ranch property in Mountain View. John Gemello and his son Mario were known for decades for making award-winning robust Zinfandels and Cabernet Sauvignons.

John Gemello in his final years (1882 - 1981)

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A few months later, Paul Obester revisited the home-winemaking idea, asking his grandfather-in-law to share his process.

In his Italian-rooted broken English, Gemello said, “Firsta, you getta tonna grapes.”

Paul laughed, and said, “Do we need a ton? We just want to make a barrel.”

“I onlya knowa one way,” he said. “You getta tonna grapes.”

“That’s O.K. I can divide by two,” Paul said. “So half a ton of grapes.”

For the next two years, Gemello would supervise Paul and Sandy making a barrel of wine in their Palo Alto garage. This would inspire the couple to take winemaking extension courses at UC Davis.

In 1977, the couple purchased a plot of land just off Highway 92 close to where it intersects with Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. An old barn on the property was converted into a professional winemaking operation as Obester Winery, a legacy lasting for 25 years. They would produce 8,000 cases of Obester wine and 500 cases of Gemello wine in a typical year. (Paul and Sandy purchased the Gemello Winery assets and trademark from Sandy’s uncle, Mario Gemello, upon his retirement in 1982).

Holiday Gift Ideas

If you are looking for wine-themed holiday gift ideas, the blog of Mary Orlin and Mary Babbit, and host of the Sip, Sip, Hooray! podcast has some great suggestions.

• You can read the list here.

• Or listen to the podcast episode.

Some of my favorites from Sip, Sip, Hooray! include:

• Book: The World in a Wineglass by Ray Isle. He is the executive wine editor at Food & Wine magazine. He’s also in my forthcoming book. In 2002, he interviewed my grandfather, Mario, after the 1970 Gemello Cabernet won the Judgment of Paris re-enactment blind tasting.

• Experiences: In-person or online classes at the San Francisco Wine School

• Wine club gifts: They offer a variety.

• Stocking stuffers: Merlot infused coffee beans, animal-shaped wine pourers, and more!

One More Gift Idea

If your 2025 New Year’s resolution is to build self confidence, and looking for practical tips to do so, you’re in luck. My longtime friend Chris Lipp just published, The Science of Personal Power: How to Build Confidence, Create Success, and Obtain Freedom. Lipp serves as the director of management communication at Tulane University’s business school.

If you’re new here—hi, I’m Kevin!

I’m the author of 🍷 Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge,🍷 my forthcoming memoir about health, aging and winemaking. (Read the origin story of the book.) 🍇

The Centenarian Playbook is my newsletter, which features longevity tips and stories from Grandma Kay’s long life. It also includes stories of the Gemello Winery, which her late husband, Mario, ran for nearly half a century.

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