As an impressive swell pounds the shores of the Monterey Bay just before sunset, Enrico Zampieri is in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near the laboratory for Bent Dime Winery in Scotts Valley.
He sports baby blue Nikes, a watch with an orange face and a black Mizuono JPN zip-up with a vertical red stripe, as a chill descends on the land. It’s been a year since he teamed up with Les Wright, of 37th Parallel Wines, to create their “Lemoncello” product, a chardonnay-and-lemon-based drink.
“It tastes like real lemons, because we only use real lemons to make it,” says Zampieri, speaking less like a salesman and more like a true aficionado. “It tastes natural. It’s very smooth. It’s very enjoyable.”
Zampieri, 41, grew up in Padua, Italy, and studied political science in Bologna. In 2016, Zampieri took a sommelier course from the Associazione Italiana Sommelier. But his love of fermented grapes and music stretched back much further.
“I always liked wine. It’s a big part of the culture in Italy, especially in Padova,” he says, using the Italian name for Padua, a locale in the Veneto region.
He’s done many things over the years, from studying acupuncture to shuttle driving, but the one constant has been his attachment to the beverage landscape. The seeds of Lemoncello sprouted while he was working as a waiter at an Italian restaurant in midtown Santa Cruz.
“When I was working there, I had the idea to create a line of products for mixers, for alcoholic products to create cocktails for restaurants without a liquor license,” he says, referring to how the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has separate permits for distilled spirits versus for beer and wine sales. “But then I never did anything. I didn’t follow up on the idea.”
But he couldn’t shake the idea.
It was when he shifted to a job at Lago di Como, on East Cliff Drive, that the concept began to blossom.
“It came out pretty good,” he says, “—well, really good actually.”
He found the wine provided a rich flavor profile. “I realized it could have a bright future on the market,” he says. “And so, I proposed this idea to Les Wright.”
Wright, who’s been making wines here since 2009, just happened to be a Lago di Como customer. “I served him a few times in the restaurant,” Zampieri says. “Incidentally, he invited me to his place to taste some wine, not long before I decided to present the idea to him.”
And, when he returned to pitch him on the business idea, he had Wright do a blind tasting.
“We liked the results,” Zampieri says.
By January, production had begun.
Traditional limoncello is a liqueur with an ABV around 28-32%. Bent Dime’s wine-based product comes in at 23.5%.
“For the restaurant, it gives the opportunity to sell limoncello—which they couldn’t before,” Zampieri says, describing how he shifted into sales mode at that point. “For me it was a new job. I’ve never done that kind of job.”
He estimates he’d visit around 10-15 restaurants a week.
“We had a very positive response from the first day,” he says. “In July, I had over 50 restaurants—56 restaurants—that bought at least once from us.”
And now, one year on, what better way to mark the milestone than with a musical evening.
On March 15, at Woodhouse Brewery, Bent Dime will host a free “Disco Limone” party, from 3pm until close.
Zampieri has been arranging for DJs to play modern Italo disco, Afro-Caribbean funk and house music “inspired by the golden era of the ’70s and ’80s.”
The Disco Limone event, at 119 Madrone St., in Santa Cruz, will feature DJ Jimmy Jagua, live art by Kays & Polpok, a reptile show from Pet Shop Santa Cruz, Izzy’s Ice Cream Cart, DJ David (LaLoveItalo) and DJ Franky Scrumble.
“If you love American funk, you’re going to love Italian funk, Italian disco,” says Zampieri, adding, “It has been an incredible year of personal growth and challenges. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m just very grateful to be on this path and to have this opportunity.”
