Welcome to Cupere
Cupere is a small, boutique winery specializing in sharing original works of art through wine.
Winemaking begins with vision, terroir and a meticulous attention to detail. Cupere is focused on producing wines full of character that deliver an integrated performance of fruit and are built for ageability without sacrificing energy or elegance.
Art is boundless. It leads each of us on a creative journey where exploring the universe of artistic expression is soulful and imaginative.
Our approach to winemaking and art ensures both the highest quality wine from grape to bottle, and that each vintage is truly original. Cupere produces a single white and a single red wine each vintage distinguished by unique artwork and design.
Our two varietals, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are sourced from the Mariola Ridge Vineyard – a steep, cool, hillside site located outside of Sebastopol, California. Located in the Sonoma Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA), the vineyard benefits from the maritime influences of the Pacific Ocean and its Gold Ridge soils.
Following a short hiatus (while planting our own vineyard), we launched headfirst into the 2020 harvest of Mariola Ridge Vineyard located in the Sonoma Coast / Russian River Valley AVAs located in Sonoma County, CA. During a tumultuous year characterized by Covid 19, economic uncertainty and wild fires, we decided to “Roll the Dice” and simultaneously launched our new boutique winery – Cupere.
Our first winery, Amore Fati, was founded in 2009 by the wife and husband team of Akiko and John Trohan. In 2010, Amore Fati produced a single barrel of Pinot Noir from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley AVA for their inaugural vintage. From 2010-2015, Amore Fati went on to produce 5 vintages under the Amore Fati – Ouroboros label. In 2012, Amore Fati’s Ouroboros label won the Gold Medal for Dramatic Graphics as well as Overall Winner of the 2012 International Wine Label Design Competition. Amore Fati’s 2013 vintage received a Gold Medal scoring 96 points from the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
The Meaning Of Cupere
CUPERE /cù·pe·re/ – pronounced (kooh.peh.reh) – The Latin word (verb) meaning: to desire, to wish, to lust, to long for
From the verb "cupere" ("to desire"), Latin derived three nouns which have passed with minimal modification into English. Cupiditas meant "yearning and "desire"; English borrowed this as "cupidity," which originally in the 15th century and was synonymous with "lust." Latin cupido started out as a near synonym of "cupiditas," but it came to stand for the personification of specifically carnal desire, the counterpart of Greek eros; this is the source of the all too familiar word - Cupid.