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3 Cuda Ridge Wines LIVERMORE Cuda Ridge Wines was inspired from a love affair—with a car. A 1970 plum crazy purple Barracuda, to be exact. In the 1990s, Larry and Margie Dino were looking to buy some property in Sonoma. The couple took a long, frustrating drive to see the property but the land had a nonnegotiable price. The Dinos passed on the purchase, but as they were driving home, Larry saw the car of his dreams for sale on the side of the road. If he couldn't have the land he wanted, he would at least have the car. Larry made a hefty investment and spent the next three years having the car restored. Margie called the car his mistress because it stole so much time, attention, and passion from her husband. The year was 1999 and the couple was making wine in their garage, with the barrel next to the car. Margie said the wine took on the subtle aroma and taste of the car. So, when they had a bottling party and were trying to come up with a name for our first home vintage, Larry's car-enthusiast friend naturally proposed the idea of Cuda Ridge Wines. The couple loved the reference to their purple beauty and the name stuck. Today, the wine label is the color of the car, and if you look closely, the ridge on the label is a subliminal drawing of the car. In 2003 the Dinos moved to Livermore, planted a small vineyard, and built a barrel room in the garage. With the home vineyard, and a controlled environment for storing, the wine became impressive. Four years later, they rented a humble building on a friend's land in a rural area of Livermore, and they got all the state and federal licensing and bonding to start producing FACING PAGE: Proprietors Larry and Margie Dino in front of Cuda Ridge Wines. TOP RIGHT: Side photograph of the winery looking from the vineyard. Photographs by Frank Anzalone

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