in AHRMA vintage racing and they do
their own wrenching. In their shop I
saw things I had never heard of before,
including a stunningly beautiful Ducati
“jelly mold” gas tank that had recently
been repainted by Marcelo and a vin-
tage Ducati primary chain cover that
had been extensively grooved by hand.
“The grooves are for cooling,” Damian
told me, explaining that they provide
more surface area.
The Doffo Winery is tucked away on
15 magnificent acres in the northeast-
ern corner of California’s Temecula wine
country. The vineyards are hand-planted
and tended by the Doffo family using
techniques Marcelo brought from the
old country: They play classical music
in the vineyards because the Doffos
believe it soothes the grapes. Wine
making and motorcycle restoration are
labors of love on these grounds.
The MotoDoffo motorcycle museum
is a great place to visit and the ride
to it through Temecula’s rolling wine
country is spectacular. Damian says
they appreciate that riding and wine
tasting don’t go well together, so they
don’t expect you to sample the wines
if you ride there. If you’ll take my word
for it, you really don’t need to taste
them. Buy a bottle — or a case — of the
Malbec (or any of the other Doffo wines)
and you can thank me later. There’s
more information on the motorcycles at
MotoDoffo.com, and the Doffo Winery
at DoffoWines.com. MCDoffo’s focus is on handcrafted, award-winning wines. Doffo
offers many of the wines most folks know about (Cabernets,
Syrahs, and the like), but the winery’s real secret is the Malbec, a
rich, dark, and full-flavored red wine well known in South America.
South American Malbecs have been trendy in the U.S. for the last
few years, but the Malbecs that U.S. wine snobs get all excited
about are really run-of-the-mill $2 or $3 wines in Argentina. The
Malbec produced by Doffo in Temecula is a substantial step up.
Trust me on this; I’m one of those wine snobs and Doffo’s Malbec
is nothing short of spectacular. The winery also produces a special
red wine bearing the MotoDoffo name, a blend of their Malbec,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, with four different labels avail-
able, each highlighting a different vintage Ducati single from the
MotoDoffo Collection. — Joe BerkA taste of Argentina:
Doffo Winery’s Malbec
The MotoBarrel Room veranda,
framing the Doffo Winery vineyards
with classic motorcycles (left).
Damian Doffo in the restoration
and racing shop (below).62 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2017