Two Coasts, One Winery

It Started During Lockdown

Like a lot of people stuck at home in 2020, Bob and Xavier Celestino needed a project. The father-and-son duo, based in Connecticut, decided to try their hand at making wine from scratch. It was meant to be a distraction - something to do together while the world slowed down. Neither of them expected it to become much more than that.

But a batch or two in, something changed. What started as a way to kill time during quarantine turned into genuine curiosity about how wine actually works - not just the pouring and drinking part, but the fermentation, the chemistry, the choices that separate a forgettable bottle from a memorable one.

Chasing the Science of It

Bob and Xavier didn't stop at following a kit recipe. They went deep - studying fermentation chemistry, yeast strains, tannin structure, pH balance, and aging techniques, treating their home setup less like a hobby station and more like a lab. Over time, that's exactly what it became: a real home wine lab in Connecticut, built batch by batch, mistake by mistake, and refinement by refinement.

That obsession with getting it right is what turned two curious beginners into winemakers with a genuine grasp of their craft. Today, Corliss Wines produces a growing lineup of varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Carmenere, and Malbec - each one an exercise in the same question that got them started: how do you make this better?

Giuse - Named for the Cat

Every winery has a flagship, and Corliss Wines' is called Giuse - pronounced "juice." It's named after Giuseppe, the Celestino family's house cat, who's been present for more than a few late nights in the wine lab. What started as an inside joke stuck, and Giuse has become the wine most closely associated with the family's style: approachable, a little playful, and made with the same care as everything else they produce.

From Connecticut to California

Xavier now works in the wine industry professionally, out in Paso Robles - the heart of California's Central Coast wine country. It's given him a front-row seat to a wine culture with deep roots, and a chance to bring new techniques and perspective back to what he and his father started at home.

Meanwhile, Bob continues to run the wine lab back in Connecticut, keeping the day-to-day winemaking going. The two now collaborate long-distance - comparing notes, talking through blends, and troubleshooting batches across a few thousand miles. It's not the easiest way to run a winery, but it's kept the original spirit of the project intact: a father and son, figuring it out together, one bottle at a time.