Sutter Home Napa Valley
277 St Helena Hwy, St Helena, CA 94574
Website: https://www.sutterhome.com/
The origin of Sutter Home Winery dates back to 1874 when a Swiss-German immigrant named John Thomann established the winery and distillery in St. Helena. The Sutter Home Visitor’s Center is located on the original site. In 1947, the Trinchero family purchased the winery. Each of the Trinchero family members took on a key role in the winery from keeping the books, working the bottling line, and cleaning out tanks and barrels. Their hard work and dedication made Sutter Home into the successful winery it is today. In the 1980s and ‘90s, Sutter Home became one of the most widely known household names and the second largest, independent family-run winery in the United States. The Trincheros have added many other wine labels to their portfolio, including Folia à Deux, Napa Cellars, Ménage à Trois, and Newman’s Own.
Historic Victorian home at Sutter Home Estate
Sutter Home may be most well-known for the creation of the popular, pink colored White Zinfandel. The White Zinfandel came about as an accident when some surplus juice from their regular Zinfandel wine didn’t fully ferment. Bob Trinchero, the winemaker in the 1970s, was trying to make a dry white wine from the juice, but the fermentation process stopped halfway through leaving a slightly sweet wine. It got its pink color from coming into contact with the skins of the Zinfandel grapes. Not wanting to discard all of the excess juice, the Trincheros decided in 1975 to sell the wine as White Zinfandel and it became a big hit. The wine became a best seller in the late 1980s and is said to have given Sutter Home its “claim to fame”.
The Sutter Home Visitor’s Center is located off Highway 29 in St. Helena, across the street from the Louis M. Martini tasting room. The tasting room is in the original winery building. The Victorian house that gave the winery its name still sits on the property. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the White Zinfandel Garden. Inside the tasting room, there is a gift shop and two separate tasting areas. One area provides a complimentary tasting of the Sutter Home wines that are commonly found at local grocery stores or wine merchants. The other section provides a Reserve tasting for a fee. I opted for the Reserve tasting and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines. To be honest, I was familiar with their popular brands and wasn’t expecting a lot from the Reserve wines, but I did enjoy the Trinity Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon and Trinity Oaks Pinot Noir.
This winery is a very popular stop, probably because so many people recognize the Sutter Home name. However, there isn’t a whole lot to do or see besides snap some pictures of the Victorian home and property and sample some wines. I was expecting more of an experience from such a famous wine brand. However, they do provide a complimentary tasting, and I was able to sample some of their other wine labels that I didn’t even know they owned. If you are looking for a more personalized, upscale tasting experience, you can head a little north to the recently renovated Trinchero Napa Valley Winery, but you’ll need to call ahead for a reservation.
Sutter Home gardens