Former Norwood Resident Robert Iantosca Named Winemaker at Sonoma County’s Gloria Ferrer Winery-August 19, 1987

Robert Iantosca, 35, formerly of Norwood and the son of Frank Iantosca of Wollaston, has been appointed head winemaker at the prestigious Gloria Ferrer Winery in Sonoma County, California. The American branch of the Spanish-owned enterprise—which operates sibling wineries across Spain, France, and Mexico—achieved critical acclaim by winning a dozen awards for its sparkling wines within its first year of operation in the United States.

Initially pursuing an interest in fine arts, Iantosca discovered a deeper fascination with the wine industry after moving to northern California. His career in the wine country began from the ground up: he was first hired by Buena Vista Winery to locate and repair irrigation system leaks before transitioning into the cellar to learn winemaking. After a year and a half at Buena Vista, he moved to Dry Creek Vineyard, where he advanced from cellar worker to assistant winemaker, mastering laboratory analysis and the art of wine blending. He also studied sparkling winemaking under legendary California winemaker Mark West.

Pedro Ferrer, president of the company, praised Iantosca as a “hands-on winemaker” with a “keen instinct for the sparkling wine business,” noting his direct involvement in every stage of production from vineyard management to dosage determination. Iantosca outlined ambitious goals for the brand, stating, “I want to make a sparkling wine for the poor lost souls who claim they don’t like sparkling wine. After they taste Gloria Ferrer, they’re going to say, ‘Well, there’s a champagne I would drink.'”

At Gloria Ferrer, Iantosca oversees traditional and labor-intensive production methods designed to maximize quality. Grapes are harvested and transported in small, 25-pound capacity boxes rather than traditional truck-hauled gondolas to prevent premature crushing and oxidation, yielding a cleaner wine with lighter color. While the winery utilizes state-of-the-art equipment, it also adheres to unique Spanish traditions—such as aging the wine for 18 months, utilizing chardonnay and pinot noir without pinot meunier, and stacking hundreds of thousands of bottles neck-to-neck without boxes or supports deep within the estate’s hillside caves. “And we’ll take our chances with earthquakes,” Iantosca quipped regarding the tightly nested cellar storage.

Winemaking is a shared passion in the Iantosca household; Robert’s wife, Julia, also interned at Dry Creek and serves as the winemaker for the William Wheeler Winery. With 243 acres under cultivation and strong public demand driving retail prices starting around $8 a bottle, Iantosca’s expertise positions the winery for significant growth.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger