~ Our People ~

Ron Tenuta

Winemaker & Owner

Ron is a third generation winemaker in this country and multi-generation winemaker going back to Toscana, Italia.  His grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1909 (his name is engraved on the wall at Ellis Island, New York) and established a vineyard in the up-state New York, Finger Lakes region.  Josepha Tenuta grew Riesling, Catawba, Tokay, Gervertsramener and Sauterne varietals.  Ron’s father and uncles were in the restaurant business and made a variety of  table wines for their restaurants and home consumption.  Ron remembers a jug of Italian red always on the dining room table.

Ron helped his grandfather in the vineyards in the summer and learned the “old world” way of making wine with his father and uncles.  These were wines made with only natural yeasts and sulfites and would only last from one harvest to the next ...hence the eternal jug on the dining room table.  Ron moved on to attend college at Florida State University taking a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  During a four hitch in the Navy with a tour in Vietnam, Ron discovered the West coast and Napa, California.  It was an immediate love affair with Napa and Sonoma counties and a dream of retirement there with a small winery and vineyard.

Thirty years later the dream became reality not in Napa or Sonoma but Livermore, California which was the home of Chardonnay wine grapes in this country.  During the late 1800’s Wente winery (a neighbor of Ron’s) won a gold medal in Paris at a prestigious wine competition.  This was the first American winery to win a gold medal competing with French made wines. 

Ron purchased a vineyard with the Wente clone Chardonnay grapes and of all other grapes…Pinot Noir.  The vineyard was an experiment of Wente vineyards and resulted in the only estate grown Pinot Noir wine in Livermore, California.  Ron was nearing retirement after thirty years in the corporate world and began studying Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis near Livermore.  He then began construction of a 15,000 square foot winery and tasting room.  He hired a degreed, experienced winemaker from South Africa with credentials in Master Wine Blending.  They worked together and built the production to 15,000 cases in four years.

Donna H. Tenuta

Office Manager & Event Scheduling

Donna was born and raised in Stockton, California. After attending nursing school in San Francisco, she returned to the Lodi area to begin her now 26 year career as a registered nurse.  She continues to follow her passion for nursing and works in the Recovery Room at several facilities.

Now-a-days, when not busy at the hospital, Donna loves to spend her days at the Tasting Room getting to know her customers.

Ron's knowledge and experience with winemaking and Donna's energetic personality make the perfect team to lead Paschal Winery into a new, exiting chapter.

" We love the idea of sharing our dream, once again, with our family and close friends"       Ron and Donna Tenuta