Plungerhead. Used Automobile Parts. Hey Mambo. Mia’s Playground. Believe it or not, these are names of new wines from one of the oldest winemakers in Sonoma County. In fact, Don Sebastiani, patriarch of the 104-year-old Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery was once a Republican legislator. Now, he owns the 14th largest winery in America and hopes to sell 2 million cases next year.
As a kid, I went to the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma to see movies. Now, Don’s kidding everyone with his Three Loose Screws brand of wines, thumbing his nose at Napa County, and promoting his own titles like Screw Kappa Napa for $15 with a screw cap and Used Automobile Parts for $50. What’s more, the latter is closed with a “zork” — a synthetic cork plastic pull tab like closures on milk jugs.