Vineyard manager John Belfy, who founded Buona Terra Farming in 1997 and planted many of Santa Barbara County’s top vineyards, died on September 12. He was 72 years old.
“We always had a great relationship and I truly thought of him as ohana,” said Mikael Sigouin of Kaena Wine, using the Hawaiian word for “family.” Sigouin, who’s from Hawai'i, worked with Belfy at Tierra Alta Vineyard in Ballard Canyon for more than 20 years. “He was truly a great grape grower and always put quality over quantity, which is why I've made so many great wines from his farming,” said Sigouin. “He was a straight shooter who always stood by his word. He was also a very generous person ready to help those in need.”
During an interview in 2020 for my book, Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County, Belfy explained that, as a kid growing up in Detroit, Michigan, he thought he’d take over his dad’s construction business, having worked for him every summer. But then his dad retired at age 49, sold the business, and left Belfy’s future wide open.