Sutter Home Winery

History

In 1874 the Swiss-German immigrant John Thomann established a small winery and distillery in St. Helena in central Napa County, California. After his death, the winery and Victorian home beside it were sold to another Swiss family, the Leunbergers, who renamed the estate Sutter Home.

As with most Napa Valley wineries, Sutter Home was shut down during Prohibition. The winery remained abandoned until 1948, when it was purchased by John and Mario Trinchero, immigrant brothers from New York City whose family had been active in the Italian wine business. The Trincheros refurbished the winery and began producing Napa Valley wines, initially scraping by making generic jug wines.

In 1968 Louis “Bob” Trinchero (Mario's oldest son) began vinifying Amador County Zinfandel.

White Zinfandel

In 1972, another of Bob Trinchero's innovations provided the American wine consumer with a new style of premium wine known as White Zinfandel.

By 1987, Sutter Home White Zinfandel had become the best-selling premium wine in the United States. In 1994, Wine Spectator gave Trinchero its Distinguished Service Award for "having introduced more Americans to wine on the table than anyone in history".

Present

In collaboration with Bob Torkelson, the Trinchero family manages the large winemaking organization, overseeing operations from grapegrowing and production, marketing and sales. The Trincheros are noted for their industry leadership, commitment to sustainable agriculture and preserving the environment.

Today, Sutter Home is the second largest family-owned winery in the world and the fourth largest winery in the United States. All winemaking, bottling, shipping and warehousing operations are concentrated in three modern facilities in Napa County. The original winery site on Highway 29 houses the winery's Visitors Center.

Production

Sutter Home's White Zinfandel production increased from 25,000 cases in 1981 to 1.3 million in 1986. In 2004, Trinchero Family Estates winery produced about 10 million cases a year, with Sutter Home White Zinfandel being 95% of those unit sales.

Sutter Home Winery produces 21 varietal wines including Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, White Zinfandel, White Merlot, Gewürztraminer, Chenin blanc, Moscato, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Red Blend, Pinot noir, Pinot grigio, Sweet Red, Red Moscato, Moscato Sangria, Pink Moscato, Riesling Moscato, Sweet Riesling, Rosé, and Sangria, as of 2020.

References

• Heyhoe, Kate. Hock, Stanely. Harvesting the Dream: The Rags-to-Riches Tale of the Sutter Home Winery. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

;Footnotes

References

1. calwineries.com [http://www.calwineries.com/learn/people-and-institutions/bob-trinchero Bob Trinchero]
2. Prial, Frank, ''The New York Times''. (October 28, 1998). "The House Built on White Zinfandel". The New York Times.
3. ''Harvesting the Dream''
4. Murphy, Linda ''San Francisco Chronicle''. (July 3, 2003). "White Zinfandel, now 30, once ruled the U.S. wine world". The San Francisco Chronicle.
5. Wine Spectator. (2007-10-12). "1994 Distinguished Service Award: Louis "Bob" Trinchero". Wine Spectator.
6. WRAP of the Year 2005
7. (2018-01-04). "How the Trinchero Family Built a Wine Empire".
8. Sogg, Daniel. (2004-07-20). "The Business of Wine". Wine Spectator.
9. Sogg, Daniel. (2004-04-27). "Trinchero Family Estates Makes $16 Million Offer on Folie à Deux - Owner of Sutter Home and Montevina brands wants to expand presence in Napa Valley". [[Wine Spectator]].