[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E982-E983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING STEFANO GIUSEPPE RIBOLI

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 2019

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise to remember a great 
Angeleno, Stefano Giuseppe Riboli, who passed away on July 3, 2019, at 
the age of 97. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and 
great-grandfather, and lived a joyous life filled with the love of 
family and friends. To the people of Los Angeles, he was also cherished 
as the patriarch of San Antonio Winery, who led the winery's growth 
into the thriving, century-old local institution it is today.
  Stefano was a Los Angeles native. He was born in the city on 
September 8, 1921, to

[[Page E983]]

Italian immigrant parents. However, when he was three, his family moved 
back to Italy, and Stefano grew up there in the small mountain village 
of Berzo San Fermo. In the springs and summers, he shepherded cows in 
the local Alpine mountain pastures, and those experiences helped give 
him his lifelong fondness for nature and animals.
  When Stefano was 16, he returned to Los Angeles to work at San 
Antonio Winery, which his uncle, Santo Cambianica, had founded in 1917 
in the Italian-American neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. Santo mentored 
Stefano, and his friendly and helpful attitude to people of all 
backgrounds set an example that Stefano carried forward throughout his 
life.
  Thanks in large part to Stefano's hard work, his kind and cheerful 
manner, and the love and support of his family, San Antonio Winery rose 
from its humble beginnings to become Los Angeles's largest and longest-
producing winery, recently honored as 2018's American Winery of the 
Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. And just as in its early days, the 
winery is a family enterprise, with all of Stefano's children and many 
ofhis grandchildren working there.
  San Antonio Winery is much more than just a winery to the Los Angeles 
community. It is a place where people of all backgrounds can meet and 
enjoy each other's company. All are welcome, from families to business 
leaders to tourists. And Stefano's charm and his remarkable memory were 
essential to the winery' s convivial spirit. He was known as ``Papa 
Steve,'' and would regale visitors with stories ofthe winery's history 
and his days growing up in Italy--always with a smile on his face and a 
glass of wine at the ready. His outgoing disposition was infectious, 
and encouraged visitors to come back again and again.
  For 73 years, Stefano was blessed by the strong and loving union he 
shared with his wife, Maddalena. Their suppmt and devotion to each 
other nurtured their children and grandchildren, their winery, and 
their entire community.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in sending our deepest 
condolences to the family of Stefano Giuseppe Riboli, including 
Maddalena, their children Santo (Joan), Cathy (Nino), and Steve 
(Sindee), their grandchildren Anthony, Steve, Lisa, Michael, Jennifer, 
David, Dante, Blake, Christopher, and Alex, and their seven great-
grandchildren. Stefano will be greatly missed by Angelenos of all ages 
and walks of life, but we know that his gracious and gentle spirit will 
always live on in the family he loved and the business he led.

                          ____________________