Bartolai Winery & Distribution
In the beautiful hills of Northern Italy, just outside of Lucca in the village of Treppignana, the dream, love,and art of wine making began for the Bartolai family.
Isodore Bartolai and his family made small batches of wine from carefully selected hand picked grapes from the family vineyard. Fermented and aged in oak barrels in a hillside cave, Bartolai wines were born. “Chief” brought his skills and technique to the Cork Lane section of Pittston Twp., passing on his craft on to our father Albert. Each fall wine was made at the family homestead using a hand made wine press. The wine was stored in a wine cellar dug out of solid rock.
Albert then passed on the family traditions to his son Albert Jr., who made wine with our cousins in the same way our grandfather did. My brother Vince and I got involved soon after. A family dinner of “polenta on the board” marks the end of the years wine making season.
Today the fourth and fifth generation of winemakers are involved in the process of making wine in the same way their fathers, grandfather, and great grandfather did.
Author: Caroline Porsiel
Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.
