Name/Title
Oral History of Kay GemelloEntry/Object ID
2022.075.001Scope and Content
Kay Gemello married Mario Gemello in 1940 after attending Mountain View High School. Mario Gemello inherited ownership of the Gemello Winery from his father and ran the winery from 1944 to 1982. Kay Gemello lived at the winery during this time with her family, raising their three children there. After her husband retired and sold the winery in 1982, Kay and Mario moved to Los Altos, where she still resides today. The Gemello Winery was one of the early winemakers in the Santa Clara Valley and is an important part of the history of wine making in the region.
Kay Gemello lived at the Gemello Winery with her family as her husband ran the winery from 1944 to 1982. In this interview, Kay discussed her and her family’s life at the winery, her experience raising her children there, and difficulties of living where her husband worked. While Kay described the winery as having been a great place for her children to grow up, she also explained the nonstop nature of her husband’s job and recounted instances of the winemaking business interfering with family dinners, celebrations, and sleep.
Kay’s experience living on the Gemello Winery provides a firsthand perspective into the life of winemakers, who played an enormous role in the agricultural history and development of Santa Clara Valley.Collection
Oral History CollectionOral History Details
Interviewee
Kay GemelloInterviewer
Patti WhiteInterview Date
Apr 24, 2022