Allora Vineyards was established in 1999. The proprietors of Allora Vineyards are Terry and Nancy Klein. They manage their winemaking business along with their children, Kelly, Cortney, and Christopher Klein.

Terry Klein was born in San Francisco and moved to St. Helena, California when he was 13 years old. Growing up in the heart of the famous Napa Valley wine-growing region, Terry developed a deep appreciation and interest in fine wine. After living in New York for a short period of time and getting married, Terry and Nancy moved back to California and made their permanent home in St. Helena. Although the Kleins established a very successful plastering business, their long-time dream was to make a quality wine of their own. In 1998 the Kleins came across a 15-acre parcel on the north end of St. Helena, which had been used as pasturage for over 50 years. The soil was ideal for a vineyard as it was sandy loam and clay. They purchased it and immediately began to prepare it for a vineyard. Part of the preparation included consulting the notable growers in the Napa Valley who helped hand select rootstock and clonal varieties.

Presently, 10 acres of grapevines are planted on the Klein's estate. Eight acres are Cabernet Sauvignon vines, and the remaining two acres consist of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. Additionally, the vineyard employs a unique planting style in which vines are grown closely together, forcing each plant to produce only a small amount of fruit of the highest quality possible. Allora had its first harvest in the fall of 2002 and has been producing exceptional wine with each new vintage.

Today, the Klein family continues to work together to oversee the operations of the winery. Terry, working in close connection with our winemaker, determines the varietals to be used in each of the blends, how much wine to produce, and which aging techniques will create a superior wine. Nancy handles all of the accounting responsibilities and wine orders. Cortney and Kelly manage the sales and marketing, introducing Allora's wines to people who deeply appreciate small production, high quality wine.

Rudy Zuidema – Winemaker

Rudy Zuidema has quickly worked his way up the ladder of a winemaking career. After graduating from U.C. Davis in 1991 with a degree in Plant Science and Agricultural Management, and a harvest with Wirra Wirra Australia under his belt, he started as an entry-level cellar man at St. Clement Vineyards. There he found the ultimate mentor, then winemaker Dennis Johns. At that point Rudy decided that he would be making wine for the rest of his life, and also discovered and began to develop a winemaking style that embraces a balanced fusion of concentrated fruits, rich aromatics, and seamless textures.

After St. Clement, Rudy took his next steps in cellar management at Cuvaison Winery, and then moved on to an assistant winemaking position at Honig Winery, followed by a seven-year stint as head winemaker for Robert Craig Wine Cellars. Working with specialized varietals from each of these spectacular properties, and exploring the range of growing and winemaking techniques a single grape can inspire, Rudy finds his work a labor of love.

Today, Rudy is the winemaker for Allora Vineyards, Ehlers Estate Winery, and Calix Wines.  He is the key to our success because of his passion and dedication to making exceptional wines.

"Allora" is a commonly used word in Italian and basically translates to "whatever."

The Allora family of wines was produced in very small quantities. The "Tresca" wines have been produced as follows: 102 cases of the 1997, 106 cases of the 1998, 300 cases of the 1999, 800 of the 2000, and 850 of the 2001 vintage. In 1999 200 cases of "Cielo," a Super Tuscan, were produced. In 2002 115 cases of "Lusso," a highly extracted Cab, and 85 cases of Petite Sirah were produced, both estate grown.

Currently, Allora wines are available for purchase in our online store. They can also be found in various fine wine stores and wine lists of a select group of fine restaurants across the country.