The story of Delicato Family Vineyards in Manteca is a familiar story to many.

The winery business began in the 1930s when two young Italian immigrants, Gaspare and Caterina Indelicato, settled in San Joaquin County. Gaspare and his brother-in-law soon purchased an old dairy farm just north of Manteca where the Delicato Winery and its tasting room has, through the years, become a beacon and a welcoming sign to many motorists along the Highway 99 corridor that they are in the Family City.

Today, Delicato Family Vineyards has expanded into the global market, yet it remains family-owned and family-operated, thanks to the second- and third-generation Indelicato family members who are “inspired and energized and fulfilled by their work.”

These next generations of hard-working and forward-thinking Indelicatos are being honored and recognized on Saturday when Manteca holds its 42nd annual Holiday Parade in the downtown district. Members of the third and fourth generations of the Indelicato family will be riding on four circa 1930s vintage cars as grand marshals of this year’s parade.

The third-generation family members now running the global business are the children of Gaspare and Caterina Indelicato’s three sons: Tony, Frank, and Vince. They are Michael, Frank Jr., and Cheryl who are the children of the late Frank Sr. and his wife Mary; Jay and Chris who are the children of the late Tony and his wife Mary; and, Marie Indelicato Mathews, the daughter of Vince and Dorothy Indelicato.

The Manteca Chamber Holiday Committee selected the Indelicato family to serve as Parade Grand Marshal this year is to recognize and honor them for “what they do for the community,” said Chamber executive director Joann Beattie.

“They are a big business here; they hire a lot of people. They are good supporters of the Chamber as well; they’ve given us a lot of support. There are always there to help us. We appreciate them for what they’ve done for the City of Manteca,” she said.

Gaspare and his brother-in-law started out the business by planting a vineyard at the old dairy farm they purchased north of Manteca, selling the grapes to home winemakers until the end of Prohibition, according to information provided by the Delicato Family Vineyards. In 1935, the brothers-in-law started producing and selling wine from locally own grapes.

About two decades later, Gaspare’s three sons – Frank, Tony, and Vince – joined their father in the wine business and “increased sales with national and international distribution.”