Lou Carrozzino pours wine in his tasting room at Vino By Zzino near Quakertown.
Lou Carrozzino’s fascination with wine began when he was 16 years old, but it took time to perfect the winemaking craft.
“It was error and error,” Carrozzino joked from his Quakertown area tasting room at Vino By Zzino, which opened at 1410 Fels Road, Milford Township, in July. “The key to making good wine is making a lot of bad wine along the way.”
In the decades since he began learning from elders on his South Jersey homestead, Carrozzino has retired from his career as a mechanic to take his love of winemaking full-time. In 2014, after beginning to make wine professionally the year before, Carrozzino set up his business as an LLC.
“This was my retirement project,” Carrozzino said from his former barn-turned-tasting room accented by ornate bistro tables and wine décor. “I just want to be able to not have a real job and not have to worry about it.”
The wines produced by Vino by Zzino include four varieties of white and three red varieties.
He had planned to open a tasting room adjacent to his Quakertown home and 2-acre property in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic “was the ultimate monkey wrench,” according to the winemaker.
Vino By Zzino is the newest member of the Bucks County Wine Trail, a nonprofit organization. Owned by Lou and Cheryl Carrozzino–the business’s name is derived from the latter half of their last name–the winery is one of seven family-owned wineries along the Bucks County Wine Trail.
Carrozzino purchases wine grapes from established vineyards in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California and Chile to make the winery’s seven wine varieties, which include four whites and three reds. He said he would like to buy grapes from South Africa, too. Buying grapes from other countries “gives us a whole second season” of winemaking, he added.
In all, Carrozzino makes about 3,000 gallons of wine per year.
“We’re little,” he said. “We want to stay little.”
Vino by Zzino, the newest addition to the Bucks County Wine Trail, is located at 1410 Fels Road, Quakertown, Pa.
In addition to a variety of sweet, semi-sweet and dry wines available by the glass or bottle, Vino By Zzino offers tastes for every palate, including three beers on tap from Bucks County Brewers and wine slushies (in season).
The winery can host bachelorette parties, bridal showers and other special occasions for up to about 40 people. Regular events such as paint-and-sips, as well as trivia and bingo nights on alternating Fridays are also popular.
Guests can enjoy the ambiance of the winery from the charming 16- by 24-foot tasting room or take in the outdoor scenery from one of the picnic tables, or from within the heated tent, which is equipped with a makeshift stage and plenty of seating. A bonus to outdoor festivities is that goats and chickens frolic nearby. Lawn games such as Connect Four, Jenga and cornhole make for a kid (and dog) friendly experience.
Curious goats (and chickens) frolic on the Vino By Zzino property in upper Bucks County. The small winery opened over the summer, and recently became part of the seven-member Bucks County Wine Trail.
Meeting the community has been a rewarding experience and one Carrozzino said he hopes to continue in the years ahead.
“This is the greatest job I ever had,” he said.
Vino By Zzino is open Fridays from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Weather permitting, comfortable outdoor seating and games like Connect Four are available for the enjoyment of patrons at Vino by Zzino on the Bucks County Wine Trail.
About the Bucks County Wine Trail
The Bucks County Wine Trail was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2004. Today, seven wineries are part of the Bucks County Wine Trail: Bishop Estate Vineyard and Winery, Buckingham Valley Vineyards, Crossing Vineyards and Winery, Rose Bank Winery, Rushland Ridge Vineyards, Sand Castle Winery and Vino By Zzino. To learn more about the Bucks County Wine Trail, visit BucksCountyWineTrail.com.
