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. 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==