Dario De Conti was born in Vittorio, a town in Veneto region of northern Italy. He was raised on his family’s farm perched on a hillside overlooking the City. At an early age, Dario began studying at a winemaking school in Italy, where he learned the essentials of great winemaking. To fund his college studies he began making pizzas at local pizzerias in town.
Ca’ Momi:
After living and making wine in Veneto, Italy, Dario moved to the Napa Valley, and partnered with Valentina Guolo-Migotto and Stefano Migotto to start Ca’ Momi Winery. De Conti was eager to share his two passions – wine and pizza – with the public. The three partners opened Ca’ Momi Enoteca in the Oxbow Public Market on October 13,2010. As Dario put it, “In Italy, food needs wine. We were missing the food we grew up with in Italy, and also needed a stage to showcase our Ca’ Momi wines.”
Ca’ Momi Enoteca features Napoletana-style pizzas made with organic, local and Italian ingredients and baked in a 900 degree, wood-fired oven. As per Italian tradition, the Enoteca menu changes based upon the seasonal availability of ingredients.
Officially Certified:
On June 7, 2011, the prestigious Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) Association – the Italian association that protects and maintains the heritage, authenticity, and rigorous standards of the Pizza Napoletana – bestowed upon Dario the title of certified Pizzaiolo, or pizza master. On the October 11, 2011, the VPN certified Ca’ Momi Enoteca as the only restaurant in Napa to feature authentic Pizza Napoletana. The Enoteca thus became only the sixth restaurant in California to achieve this honor.
One can sense the pride that Dario feels at this certification. “It’s Pizza Napoletana (big smile, hands waiving in the air)! It’s made from strict traditional recipes and procedures passed down for hundreds of years in Naples, Italy. Our pizza is the real Italy.”
Napa Valley’s Rising Super Star:
Dario has a hands-on approach to co-owning Ca’ Momi Winery & Enoteca. You will often see him at wine tasting events pouring wine and sharing stories and smiles, or in the kitchen preparing the dough for his next masterpiece. Dario has been interviewed on multiple radio and television stations, and featured in local publications and national magazines. Dario De Conti is one of the Napa Valley’s rising Super Stars.