In this episode of The Good Stuff presented by the Sonoma County Winegrowers, hosts Virginie Boone and Karissa Kruse talk to John Balletto, President & Founder of Balletto Vineyards.
John Balletto was raised just south of Sebastopol, California, where his parents, Alfred and Hazel Balletto, kept a thriving vegetable garden and raised chickens and cattle. This hands-on environment sparked John’s appreciation for agriculture at an early age. At the age of 12, John began working on the family’s five-acre produce farm, earning just $0.75 an hour. His work ethic extended beyond the fields—he was also a standout athlete at Analy High School, where he still holds the school’s shot put record.
As an adult, John has stayed actively involved in his community, serving on the Sonoma County Winegrowers board and supporting organizations across the country. One of the most meaningful ways he’s given back is on the Balletto home ranch. In the early 2000s, longtime employee Manuel Vallejo Camacho asked John to create a space where employees, their families, and friends could gather and play baseball. John made it happen—building the 'Dream Field' right in the middle of the vineyard. Today, it serves as a place for the vineyard crew and their families to come together on Sundays, relax, and enjoy time outside of work.
Professional Background:
Founder and owner John Balletto started the business after his father passed away from cancer in 1977. At just 17, John turned down college athletic scholarships to stay home and help his mother, Hazel, run their small five-acre farm in Sebastopol, California. Starting with only $200 and a flatbed Chevy truck, John and Hazel began to expand their operations.
Determined to succeed, the Balletto family steadily expanded throughout the 1980s and '90s, acquiring land and boosting vegetable production. By 1994, they had built the largest vegetable farm in Northern California, growing over 70 crops across 700+ acres and moving more than two million cases annually. One of those properties now houses Balletto Vineyards.
Despite the farm’s success, John and his wife, Terri, anticipated challenges from water shortages and a shifting agricultural landscape. Encouraged by friend and neighbor Warren Dutton, they planted their first wine grapes—less water-dependent than vegetables—on what is now Burnside Road Vineyards. Fast forward to 1998, back-to-back El Niño storms caused nearly $2 million in crop damage, compounded by economic pressures from NAFTA. John describes it as a monumental time where the community came to his aid, and he received help from a local community businessman and pivoted, converting their land fully from vegetables to vineyards over three years, focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and began selling fruit to local wineries.
After seeing the exceptional wines produced from their grapes, John and Terri launched Balletto Vineyards in 2001, setting aside the top 10% of their fruit for their own label. That first vintage produced 391 cases of Chardonnay and 689 cases of Pinot Noir. Today, they continue to use 10% of their estate-grown grapes and produce 20,000–25,000 cases annually.
Wines:
Balletto makes many wines, their portfolio includes: Sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zin.
And finally, Virginie and Karissa share their Tuesday Night wine picks!
