Gallery: Sunday with Lenny: A visit to Procacci Bros.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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Lenny Procacci has been selling grapes since Lyndon Baines Johnson was president. Every year, Lenny tells himself the same thing: “I hope I can make it through this season.”
Grace Dickinson/For PhillyVoice
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Lenny Procacci, the last grape merchant in Philadelphia, sells 27 varieties of the fruit from a warehouse a block away from the Stadium Complex. During the grape season – Labor Day to Columbus Day – he works 12-hour days, seven days a week.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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At Procacci Bros., grapes are stored in large rooms kept cool at temperatures ranging between 32-35 degrees.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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It takes about 22 crates of grapes to make a barrel of wine.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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From chardonnay to sauvignon blanc to moscato, white varietals of many kinds can be found at Procacci Bros.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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Barrels of wine are set up to give customers a taste of what the grapes on sale might produce with a little winemaking talent.
Grace Dickinson/For PhillyVoice
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Customers Connie and Frank Dinardo have been purchasing grapes from Lenny Procacci for 18 years to make wine for personal drinking and special occasions, like their daughter's wedding. They stopped in at Procacci Bros. on Sunday. 'Visiting Lenny every year is like Christmas. It's a wonderful time and a highlight of my life,' says Connie Dinardo.
Grace Dickinson/For PhillyVoice
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All day long, during grape season, vehicles are loaded up with crates of the fruit destined to become wine. It's not unusual for customers to drive off with thousands of pounds of grapes.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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Grapes are loaded into the back of a customer's vehicle.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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Twenty-four crates of grapes are ready to be hauled away.
Grace Dickinson/For PhillyVoice
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A crate full of grapes. Each crate contains about 36 pounds of grapes.
Grace Dickinson/for PhillyVoice
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Repeat customers often bring bottles of homemade wine to share with Lenny Procacci when they come back to buy new grapes each year.
