SoDel restaurants, Highwater stores partner with winery

When Matt Haley of SoDel restaurants and Highwater Managerment was touring Italy one winter a couple of years back, he came upon a Tuscany winery operated by Count Manfredo di San Bonifacio.

Haley liked the high standards the count set for his wines and was intrigued by his familial lineage.  "He is descended from Juliet of Romeo and Juliet fame - the Capulet family," said Haley, "and he is also a relative of the famed Italian writer Danté."

The showman in Haley couldn't resist. He worked for the count for a while as an advisor to the chef of his winery resort in Italy and then decided to purchase enough of Count Manfredo's wine from his 2008 vintage to gain exclusive rights for it in Delaware - through Vintage Importers.

The Bonafacio wines - including a San Giovese called Monteregio, a 50/50 cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc blend called Docet, and a syrah called Sustenet - are available at Haley's SoDel restaurants, and at restaurants and liquor stores managed by Highwater Management, of which Haley is a partner.

Haley debuted the wines at a tasting at Lupo di Mare in Rehoboth Beach June 5.  He said the wines will be available for retail locally at Bin 66.  Count Manfredo said Decanter magazine  - "to the United Kingdom what Wine Spectator is to the United States" - judged the 2008 Sustenet worthy of a gold medal and designation as the second best syrah in the world and the third-best organic wine in the world.  "They gave the syrah a 94-point rating and the cabernet a 93-point rating," said the count. "Now we're interested in finding out what Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator think."