DESTINATION
By Priscilla Willis | Photos courtesy of Tontitown Winery
Family and Traditions Run Deep in Tontitown
The Ranalli family of Tontitown has a proud tradition of working the land and growing crops. Today, the third generation of Ranallis to live in Tontitown grow tomatoes, peppers, squash and grapes on the family farm that Italian immigrant Nazzareno Ranalli purchased in 1923. While most of the early Tontitown families grew grapes, today the Ranallis are the only commercial growers remaining in a community once covered with acres of vineyards.
Heather Ranalli-Peachee and her husband, David Peachee, established the Tontitown Winery in 2010, where they produce their wine on-site using Tontitown grapes and grapes purchased from growers in Madison County and elsewhere in Arkansas.
The winery is open every day and is a joyful gathering place for the community. It is proud to be part of Tontitown’s Italian culture and fosters community with popular family-friendly events, including bingo on Wednesday nights, live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, and the sing-along fundraising event Beer & Hymns once a month on Sunday.
The Tontitown Grape Festival has celebrated Tontitown’s Italian heritage since 1899 and remains one of Arkansas’ oldest continuous community festivals and a signature cultural event in Northwest Arkansas. The festival has evolved from a small harvest celebration into a regional event that draws visitors from across the country.
Held annually on the grounds of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the historic festival blends Italian heritage, food, agriculture and community traditions. Events include grape stomping, carnival rides and games, arts and crafts vendors, live music and entertainment, the “Run for the Grapes” race, and the famous homemade spaghetti dinners.
The spaghetti dinners are legendary in Northwest Arkansas, serving thousands of visitors each year. Regional cuisine is a result of what is available to eat, and chicken, being an Arkansas protein staple, served with Italian spaghetti, became Tontitown’s signature dish. Mark your calendars for this year’s Grape Festival on Aug. 4-8. With free parking, admission and live entertainment each night, it is one of Northwest Arkansas’ premier festivals. Visit the Grape Festival website, www.tontitowngrapefestival.com, for details on performances and special events.
Although the Grape Festival remains successful, declining grape production and ongoing weather-related crop challenges have taken a heavy toll. Last year was the Ranalli Farms’ most difficult year. The festival had no grapes for the grape stand after a devastating hailstorm damaged the crop. The loss of vines in 2025 is also affecting this year’s production.
Ranalli Farms is the only remaining commercial grape grower in Tontitown. Chris Ranalli noted that before Prohibition, the Tontitown area consisted of predominantly wineries that produced fruit wines similar to port wine. Like many independent growers across the country, Chris said, “We are struggling with the cost of fuel, equipment and parts, especially tractor parts, labor costs and changing weather patterns. It’s a hard time to be a farmer.”
Yet, the family continues to persevere. “We are hanging on to our past, still trying to show people how Tontitown was,” Chris said.
Chris manages the Ranalli Farms produce market on Highway 412, and his brothers, Paul and Norbert, run the equipment/trailer side and feed store. His grandson, Heather and David’s son Dax, is a horticulture major at the University of Arkansas. On Saturdays, he loves being the face of Ranalli Farms at Fayetteville Farmers Market. Next time you visit the farmers market, stop by for some fresh produce and meet Dax!
Even as commercial grape production declined, the festival endured and became a symbol of Tontitown’s identity and resilience. Although most vineyards are gone, Tontitown’s grape heritage still survives through family traditions, local food culture, the Grape Festival, and businesses such as Ranalli Farms produce market and Tontitown Winery.
For families like the Ranallis, the market and winery represent more than a business — it is a continuation of an immigrant story rooted in agriculture, faith and perseverance. In many ways, they function as a living connection between modern Northwest Arkansas and the Italian settlers who built Tontitown more than a century ago.
