TerraCello Winery and the Auciello family
welcomes everyone to their NON commercialized, artisan, Farm Winery, situated ideally in the center of P.E.C. TerraCello is replete with indoor wood fireplace,lounge, tasting areas, barrel room, and yes, a second pizza oven from Italy to have you comfortably seated for all your Private events or simple afternoon stay. As well, a beautiful rustic patio, fire pit,outdoor Tuscan style wood oven and kitchen, and bocce are nestled among our vines offering a tranquil setting for casual gatherings with friends enjoying Tony’s famous pizza and wines he prepares manually and in small batches,by choice, to this day.Tony cares about each person who visits and wants people to enjoy his wine and pizza with their friends in a laid back Tuscan setting. When he has a chance, he’ll sometimes be seen shaking hands and saying hi to guests with the limited time he has away from his oven. His passion for wine, life and pizza are infectious, and we here at TerraCello want you to come and see for yourself why people call his place a “hidden Jewel”, literally in the HEART of Prince Edward County.
Sincerely: The entire staff of TerraCello Winery
Anthony Auciello OWNER/ Head Winemaker/ Vineyard consultant/Professional Pizzaiolo, B.A.En, B.ED.
Daniela Auciello Owner/manager
AnnaMaria D’Amico management/Events coordinator (call her to book our patio or winery for a fun evening.!!
Our Story
In 2004, after a trip to his father’s hometown, Anzano Di Puglia, Italy, Anthony Auciello Jr,came to a dark realization. The family’s “pezza di Terra”, piece of land in Italy that his father and cousin had repurchased to stop family squabelling and to keep it in the AUCIELLO Surname in 1990 was in bad shape. Overgrown bush stood instead of the fruit trees and small vineyard once tended too by his Grandfather Euplio Auciello, father and uncle Guy Rossi. War and famine pushed these young men and women out of Italy and all was abandoned. Tony’s father Antonio Sr. decided to leave Italy by boat from Naples to pursue a new life in Canada. Years later, After his father’s passing, Tony Jr decided to go back to the motherland himself. He found himself alone, shattered, but nothing resembling “IL Paradiso”, the paradise as locals would refer to his Grandfather Euplio’s Land. He was profoundly moved.It was there he had an epiphany. Crying for days in his hometown, it was there he decided he wanted to do something remarkable,something crazy, something illogical, something that would stretch him physically, mentally, financially and emotionally. He came back to Canada with a seed. A vision.As luck would have it, his mother Franka visited the County on a wine tour and told Tony Jr to check it out. So he “kidnapped” his girlfriend, now wife Daniela, and moved out to the “County” and left everything behind.
After a full year of driving up from Toronto every weekend,searching for the best parcel of land, in 2006, he found it. Locally known as MOUNT PLEASANT. THe third highest and driest elevation in PEC. LA Terra (Land) was found and the “Ciello” family began in earnest to restore the “Fox” farm starting with the Fox farmhouse, formally the home of Mr. John Fox, county Warden in the 60’s. With the help of his good friend and engineer Ernie Margetson, they put together a plan. For 5 years, 18 hours a day, he worked tirelessly, teaching full time by day, and renovating under a cold spotlight by night. Begging, borrowing and using the skills his father passed onto him to build his own winery, with his own hands, relentlessly until his dream would be realized. On July 23rd, 2013, Tony Jr. and his Wife Daniela would become the youngest SELFfunded winery owners in Ontario’s history. Passion replaced money. Heart replaced indifference. Soul and integrity to his crafts saw him through. Simply to pay tribute to the man he loved, and looked up to, his dad. TerraCello is family and friends reconnecting over food and drink in a laid back, tuscanesque, bucolic, tranquil setting. Tony welcomes you to come and experience first hand the difference his artistic passion for crafting fine NATURAL wines and AUTHENTIC NEOPOLITAN pizza makes in the overall experience at TerraCello Winery.
Anthony Auciello, Owner/head winemaker/professional pizzaiolo
Our Vineyards
Our vineyard comprises of 5 acres planted to both Vitis Vinifera and French hybrids. TerraCello’s vines such as our Riesling and Cabernet Franc have been imported from Germany and France respectively. Our soil consists of heavy “hillier clay loam” over fragmented limestone bedrock, with perfect, natural drainage, on the third highest plateau in PEC. What Tony refers to as his “button”, a magical piece of TERRIOR, like his father and Grandfather had it Italy. A parcel of land that delivers distinctive flavours to his wines especially now, an earthiness and chalky character as the vines get older with limited yields. Our vines are grafted onto lime tolerant rootstocks. Our soil depths range from 28 inches at the front of our estate to 36 inches in our “Vento” plot. All TerraCello’s vines have been hand planted by wonderful friends and family who volunteer their time every few years to break a sweat and enjoy being together with one another, and of course good food. Anthony Auciello is adamant that by hand planting, numerous objectives are achieved that are not achieved by machine planting. For example, we spread vine roots evenly, water each plant immediately, tamp each vine to ensure no air pockets are released, and add various fertilizers to ensure optimal plant nutrition. Over time, we at TerraCello believe our vines will be greener, healthier and happier with increased resistance to disease and insect damage because of our eco friendly vineyard strategies. In regards to vine management, all plants are custom pruned according to the vine age and to their growth habits. As well, weed management, tying, tucking, de leafing, de clustering and hedging are all done by hand with great effort to maximize varietal character on a regimented timeline. A variety of grasses are sowed, mowed and then grape hoed back into the land as “green” compost to ensure sufficient plant nutrition. This will afford the biodiversity of beneficial insects to live in our vineyard in a symbiotic relationship with vines and maintain nature’s equilibrium without the use of insecticides.
Total acreage – 18.9 (5.0 planted) Four distinct Plots on various areas on Property.
Vine age – 1 to 11 years
Soil – Hillier clay loam over 3 feet of fragmented limestone with excellent cation exchange
Depth – 28 to 36 inches
Trellising – Vertical
Pruning – Cane and spur, multiple trunks approach
Varietals – Cab Franc, Riesling, Baco Noir, De Chaunac, Vidal, Marquette, Gamay
EVENTS
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM FROM NOW ON @terracellowinerypec. Where updates for events, live music on our patio, wine releases, special guests etc.