Nestled behind a palatial family home off of rural Ripon’s River Road surrounded by redwood trees and acres of peach trees is a spacious green venue.
It is where the second annual Red Tie Summer Concert Series takes place in the style of Livermore Valley at the birthplace of the new Lucca Winery. Red Tie Arts is a Modesto based non-profit organization dedicated to presenting quality entertainment and helping underprivileged talented children achieve their artistic goals There are three evening concerts left that will be hosted by Mark and Lynette Lucchesi. It includes tastings of award winning wines from the Grande blend to the Mourverde varietal. The Lucca Winery is at 16265 East River Road
Upcoming concerts are:
uJuly 8: Incendio, a guitar driven fiery Latin world music group
uAug. 5: Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers,  a modern swing and dance group
uSept. 2: Stealin’ Chicago, an amazing Chicago tribute band that transforms into Aja Vu, a Steely Dan tribute band.   
The evening has diner offerings, wine bars, no host wine tasting, art show, pre show music, coffee and desserts and an absolutely gorgeous setting.  While the tasting room and other facilities are located in Ripon, Lucchesi creates wines from grapes cultivated in robust vineyards lining the Delta basin in Oakley. Tickets for the 5:30 p.m. concert start at $30 and run up to $70 and can be purchased at the door at 16265 East River Road. You can also get ticket information by going to red-tie.org. Information on the winery is available at www.lucawinery.com.
The winery is open for tasting and sales Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 209.761.5553 to visit the winery Monday through Thursday.

About the family,
farms & winery
Dionisio Lucchesi immigrated from Italy, and landed in Oakley, a small farming community in the Delta.  He purchased land along O’Hara Avenue and planted grapes, almonds, and apricots.  His love of the land and his passion for farming were passed to his son, Guido, who continued as caretaker for the trees, vines, and the sandy soil in which they grew.  During Guido’s tenure, the apricots and almonds were harvested and sold, but a small portion of each grape harvest was retained for his own venture into homemade wine.  Without any formal training, Guido created wines from his zinfandel grapes that he shared with his family and friends.
In 1990 Guido’s son, Alan, took over stewardship of Lucchesi Family Farms.  He expanded the operation to include over 400 acres of vines.  Alan shared grapes harvested from his Oakley properties with his brother, Mark, an almond and peach farmer in Ripon.  Mark began making small batches of wine to share.  After a number of years, his production increased, and he began experimenting with blends.  Mark’s interest in crafting and perfecting his homemade wine culminated in Lucca Winery.
 Grape vines grown in the sandy soil in and around Oakley have the advantage of being of forced to reach deep into the earth for water and nutrients, thereby creating grapes that are deep in flavor.  The climate in Oakley fluctuates between the warm days of summer, and the cool Delta breezes.  The soil and climate coalesce to produce the fine wines of Lucca Winery.