Off the vine: A wine lover's humble beginnings
By Al Vuona
The year was 1972 and for most young men, meeting girls or indulging in a bit of alcohol was a right of passage. Speaking of alcohol, back then a bottle of Sutter Home, Boone’s Farm or Ripple was considered wine appreciation at it’s best. In fact my friends and I thought Chateau or Cellar was a fancy new dance club. To say we were naive is an understatement. Yet as a group we were filled with eternal optimism.
This group included former Worcester Police Chief Garry Gemme and his late brother, Alan, who also became a Worcester cop. My late cousin and Worcester firefighter Jerry Vuona, local real estate broker Mike Madulka, pharmacist Jack Perez, graphic designer Mark Tonelli, sales manager Bill Dupont, real estate Investor Tom Ohman and social worker Joe Brunelle. We even managed to squeak out a lawyer or two. Not bad for a ragtag bunch affectionately known as the Holmes Field gang.