Giornata is an Italian word for a day of work in the vineyard, and it is the right name for a winery built on patience and tradition. Brian and Stephy Terrizzi have spent nearly twenty years proving that the great grapes of Italy, Nebbiolo above all, can find a second home in Paso Robles. You can taste the results, and eat fresh pasta, in their corner of Tin City.

The Terrizzis

Brian and Stephanie Terrizzi met the wine world young and committed to it fast. In 2005, the year they married and learned twins were on the way, they decided to start their own winery, and in 2006 they moved to San Luis Obispo County and founded Giornata. Brian, the winemaker, and Stephy, the viticulturist, both trained at Fresno State, and they split the work the old Italian way: she grows it, he makes it.

Their devotion to Italian culture runs past the cellar. In 2019 they opened Etto Pastificio, a fresh pasta shop and Italian market right in Tin City, and in 2025 the Paso Robles wine community named the couple its Wine Industry Persons of the Year.

Nebbiolo, the noble grape of Barolo, is the Terrizzi holy grail, and Giornata makes some of the most convincing Nebbiolo in California.

Italian grapes, California sun

Giornata is dedicated to classic Italian varietals grown and made with traditional Italian methods adapted to California. The grail is Nebbiolo, the noble, notoriously difficult grape of Barolo, and Giornata has made some of the most convincing Nebbiolo in the state. Around it sit Sangiovese, Aglianico, and Barbera, the backbone of the Italian table.

Paso Robles turns out to be a smart match for these grapes. Stephy farms organically, and the region warm days and dramatically cool nights echo parts of Italy, ripening the fruit fully while keeping the bright acidity these varietals need to feel alive and food friendly.

The wines

The lineup reads like a tour of Italy: structured, perfumed Nebbiolo, savory cherry driven Sangiovese, dark and earthy Aglianico, and juicy Barbera, along with Italian white grapes. These are not California reinterpretations so much as honest translations, made to taste like the originals while showing where they grew.

Expect medium to full bodied reds with firm tannins and high acidity, wines built for the dinner table rather than the trophy shelf.

What to pour it with

Italian grapes were bred alongside Italian food, which makes the pairings almost automatic, and the Terrizzi own pasta from Etto is the obvious place to start. Sangiovese and tomato are a classic congruent match, the acidity in the wine meeting the acidity in the sauce so neither tastes sour, perfect with a plate of pasta al pomodoro or a Margherita pizza.

Nebbiolo, all tannin and perfume, wants richness and earth: braised beef, mushroom risotto, or anything with truffle, where the fat softens the grip and the savory notes line up. Aglianico and Barbera love grilled sausage, hard cheese, and roasted meats. Keep the food savory and a little salty and these high acid reds sing.

Giornata: common questions