Full Belly Files: Goodbye to Antonio Gardella

Antonio Gardella with Hericium mushroom | Credit: Courtesy

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(I skipped last week’s Full Belly Files because I was working for 11 days in the Languedoc region of France. More on that later — this week’s newsletter remembrance below felt more important — but you can see my Instagram photos here and here.)

I’d long admired the notion of people rising to the lifestyle status of bon vivant or gourmand, though I’m not sure I’d really met a proper version of either until Antonio Gardella came into my life about 20 years ago.

Specifically, he wandered into the Independent’s office on West Figueroa Street one afternoon to attend the casual wine tastings that I used to host, a means of educationally disposing of the free samples I received back then. He’d been invited by our mutual friend Leslie Thomas, who was then working (mostly for fun) at Jaffurs Winery and hosting a series of wine dinners around town.

I’d heard his name many times before by then, due to his role as a legendary salesman for the Henry Wine Group (and later Winebow). Despite such an outsized reputation, I was happily surprised to find that this renowned wizard of wine was a very mild-mannered, soft-spoken man. He didn’t say much in that first tasting, but when he did, it was thoughtful, calculated, and carried tangible weight. That turned out to be just the way he was.

In the years to come, we became friends, corresponding mostly via email, and hanging out on what turned out to be too-few occasions. We worked on a few projects together, including this still-popular rundown of Santa Barbara restaurant history, this reflection on the pioneers of Santa Barbara wine , and this article about Santa Barbara’s home winemakers, as he was a founding member of Los Companeros. He was the subject of one of Roger Durling’s S.B. Questionnaires in 2015 (which I edited weekly for years) and, perhaps most tellingly, Antonio was one of the only people I asked to read an advanced version of my book Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County.

Antonio and I hadn’t spoken directly for a couple years, but I heard he was unwell through the urchin diver Stephanie Mutz. Some of the fondest culinary memories of my life involve eating urchin and drinking wine with Steph and Antonio — once on the back of her boat in the harbor, and another time in the backyard of mushroom expert Bob Cummings, as we prepared to host a series of uni and mushroom panels at the World of Pinot Noir in 2015.

When Steph texted me that Antonio had died of organ failure near his family in San Diego on June 3, I wasn’t surprised, but I was surely saddened to see this once-bright star forever fade.

With no obituary planned by his family, many people in Santa Barbara wine country remain unaware of his passing. It would be a true shame if his significant impact here was forgotten.

Antonio was a critical figure in publicizing this region in its earliest days, and became a major promoter in the decades to come as a salesman and storyteller. He helped start the Grape Harvest Festival of 1986, which grew into a major annual event, and starred in/produced this rather amazing 1992 short film “Vintage Journeys,” leading a mushroom hunt and interviewing the top winemakers of the era. (We did a story about that too.)

But don’t just take my word for it. Here are what a lot of important voices in the greater Santa Barbara epicurean world have to say about Antonio Gardella.

Antonio Gardella at an early wine festival

Leslie Thomas, wine lover/grower: Antonio Gardella enjoyed life to its fullest, especially as a gourmand and an oenophile. He was bitten by the wine bug early on, and was Santa Barbara County’s biggest cheerleader as the wine region blossomed. His pictures of the early days of winemaking are iconic, as he interacted with every major player in the burgeoning business. He loved to regale friends with countless stories of those times, and through his inspiring introductory wine tasting classes at SBCC, many students made career choices to work in the field of wine.

Antonio loved parties, enjoyed socializing with countless friends, and was a very skilled blind taster of wines. More than anything, he was always optimistic, enthusiastic, generous, and willing to help. He was a larger than life character, and his presence will be sorely missed but very fondly remembered by so many.

Julia and Antonio at La Super-Rica Taqueria

Jim Fiolek, former head of the S.B. Vintners: A lot of people don’t know that he was a great actor. Then he went on to be the headmaster at Devereux School.

When I was at Brinks Vintage Shop, he was Dennis Gardella [his real first name], and he used to come in after we were closed. He’d tap on the door, and I’d let him in, and he’d wander around the wine room. I’d go talk to him a little bit, and he’d stay for 20, 25 minutes, and then he’d walk out. He’d ask questions but he never bought anything.

When his name became Antonio, I gave him the name Dagwood: D-A-G Dagwood for Dennis Antonio Gardella. I called him Dagwood throughout his life and it was our little inside joke.

At the first Santa Barbara Wine Festival at the Santa Barbara Museum of History, Antonio was there. He was really one of the most curious guys that I ever met.

Bob Lindquist, winemaker: I first met him when he was still going by Dennis, this would have been 1979, 1980. He was working at Devereux. He started attending wine tastings that I used to put on with the SB chapter of WINO. These were held usually at Chris Whitcraft’s Mayfair Wines or at Wine Cask. Antonio’s name change seemed to coincide with his growing interest in wine, though Whitcraft still always called him Dennis.

Antonio’s passion for wine led to him becoming a local wine salesman legend for The Henry Wine Group. I’m not sure how many “Salesman of the Year” awards he won at Henry, but I know it was many. He will be missed.

Richard & Thekla Sanford, Sta. Rita Hills pioneers: “Savior Faire” comes to mind when imagining our departed friend. He was an erudite bon vivant and a consummate gentleman and host. We will miss his gentle kindness; he was a friend to everyone. And the best wine salesperson we have ever known!

Antonio Gardella with his Los Companeros wine

Lane Tanner, winemaker: He was the most soft spoken wine salesperson I have ever met. He just had a way about him, not pushy but always there for the buyer. He got involved. It wasn’t just a job to him, it was his life. I would go on sales days with him and we would end up over at the place he and his two friends made wine.

I was never sure if he was happy with life or not. He saw some amazing things and knew many amazing people personally, but he always had a touch of sadness about him. He was such a loving and sensitive person. The world can be rough on people like him. I hope he wrote a journal about his life because he was part of everything wine-related in Santa Barbara County.

Rick Longoria, winemaker: He was definitely one of the most involved and memorable figures in the local wine industry, especially in the early years, 1980s to ‘90s. His life in and out of the industry was centered around the world of wine and food. Not only was he a successful wholesale wine salesman, he also became an active member of local wine and food groups, a member of wine tasting groups, and an enthusiastic partner of a renowned home winemaker team, Los Companeros.

Antonio shared his passion for and knowledge of wine and food in a quiet, self-effacing manner. His warmth and smile will be missed by all those who enjoyed his company.

Bob Cummings, mushroom expert: I have many terrific memories of Antonio: mushroom hunts, American Wine and Food forays and wine lunches at Via Maestra afterwards, Antonio rolling up with the back of his Volvo bulging with cases of exotic vino, barrel tasting with the Companeros, eating a truffle with him and the truffle grower Franklin Garland (the truffle Franklin brought for a wedding present for a friend but he kept shaving pieces of it and passing them around until we eventually all ate it during the dinner and speeches!).

But my favorite memory is pinot noir and uni pairing with Antonio, you, Stephanie and me at my house in preparation (doing our due diligence?) for the World of Pinot Noir at the Bacara. Stephanie brought a five-gallon bucket of urchin, you and Antonio brought wine suitcases of pinot noir, and I supplied cheese and other appropriate nibbles. What a fine afternoon, living life fully and joyfully.

Antonio on Stephanie Mutz’s boat for an urchin feast.

Stephanie Mutz, urchin diver: My most memorable moments are talking endlessly about Salvador Dali on his porch. His love of Dalí for sure fed his eccentric imagination!

Also, Antonio could give Seth Kunin a run for his money in a sea urchin eating contest. I’m not sure who I would put my money on!

He still has a voice message on his phone from Julia Child. It was one of his most prized possessions.

Ryan Hays, colleague at Henry Wine Group/Winebow: On my first visit to his home office, the door opened to a larger than life, warm personality. His place was lined with hundreds of empty wine bottles, each one a passionate story told about the people and place the wine was consumed. He didn’t just sell wine; he curated the history of the Central Coast in his stories.

Antonio bridged the gap between the “payphone era” of wine sales and the modern market, teaching me that the “full-court press” wasn’t about pressure, but about being the go-to resource for a client and long-term relationships. He wasn’t just a veteran colleague near twice my age; he was the person who was at my wedding, who held my newborn son and the man whose name I was humbled to see on the “Antonio Gardella Award of Excellence” when I became the most recent recipient.

He was the definitive link between the past and present of this region’s wine and restaurant history.