Frank DiFlora was born in the Bronx in 1929, but he was conceived in Salerno, Italy. "My grandma was pregnant on the boat, and he barely made it to these shores," says Steve DiFlora. His father, who passed away in 2019 at 90, had strong roots in a culture where families made their own wine. This helps explain the care he took — and fun he had — creating this classic wine tasting room in his Woodcliff Lake home. 

History reclaimed

Father and son, both mechanical engineers, sourced nearly all the materials used to build the cellar, says Steve. They started and completed the construction in the early '80s, he says, and did all the design and construction themselves, with only an assist from a mason who laid out the brick walls. The bricks themselves were reclaimed from demolished buildings in New York City.