Castello di Amorosa near Calistoga. [Courtesy castellodiamorosa.com]
They’re storming the castle gates, 21st-century style. That’s been the situation at Castello di Amorosa, the castle-like winery near Calistoga, which served over 400,000 people in 2019, far more than the 25,000 annual guests its county-issued permit allows, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The higher-than-allowed volume of service has resulted in an array of permit violations.
The winery’s 1,600% overrun in visitors was addressed last month by Napa County officials, who agreed to allow the winery to apply for a retroactive permit change, bringing its permitted guests into the hundreds of thousands, while requiring the winery to upgrade safety conditions related to building occupancy and water, the PD reported.
