Morey Cellars, one of the many Portuguese-American Wineries in California!

In this episode of Our Portuguese Table, we chat with Robert Morey of Morey Cellars in Napa, California. Did you know there are around 6 or 7 Portuguese-American wineries in California and the West Coast in general?

Morey’s mom was born in New Bedford, MA and his father was from California. Robert was born in Lisbon and lived in Carcavelos and Estoril before moving to the US as a teenager.

Wine, however, is in his blood – his paternal grandfather was a partner of the Mondavi’s and his family made wine in Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, in the Guarda region of northern Portugal. The memories of men making the wine and women cooking for them still remain. Robert recalls his first food memory that involved some steak & Sagres. He loves sardinhas, caldo verde and Avó’s bolinhos de bacalhau.

Morey Cellars opened a tasting room this past season and continues to expand as well as host events – a few are coming up soon! Visit their Facebook & Instagram  to learn more. Robert also dabbles in Oakland-style BBQ, which is inspired by the style from Houston, TX. We even talked about a Portuguese version of chicken & waffles – frango and farturas, per Angela’s suggestion! 

He loves to see how Portuguese food is spreading thanks to new hot spots like ADEGA in San Jose and Uma Casa in San Francisco. His advice for aspiring wine-makers: wine-making is a very agricultural industry and it’s a long-term commitment – “you need a small fortune to make a fortune,” as he says. Robert also operates a non-profit martial arts school in his free time.

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