Like the vines her family carefully cultivates and nurtures, Camille Seghesio is American born, but her roots are deep in the Italian Piedmont. Her California accented speech is sprinkled with Italian expressions as she takes you through the family's rich history, from her Great-grandfather, Eduardo Seghesio's migration across the Atlantic, through the portal of New York's Castle Island * and the long train ride to the Northern California vineyards of Italian Swiss Colony. There, in 1886, the American branch of the Seghesio family took root and began to build what was to become one of the west coast's largest wine making concerns, at one time actually producing most of the red wine made in Sonoma County.

Finally, in 1993, after achieving major success in the bulk wine business, management of the business passed into the hands of the current generation of Seghesios who pared down the operation and turned their attention to the production of the high quality estate wines which were celebrated at this special dinner. For more information, visit www.seghesio.com.

Ms Seghesio's passion for the subject and energy seemed boundless as she spoke between each of the 5 courses and then personally to each guest, at each table at this very well-attended event. It was a virtuoso performance that was made all the more remarkable by the fact that she had just arrived from Europe and was "operating on London time". It would have made her hardworking, "bisnonno" Eduardo, very proud.

*Located near the southern tip of Manhattan, Castle Island was the US Immigration Station for the Port of New York until the facility on nearby Ellis Island was opened in 1890.