Beringer Vineyards

Jacob Beringer sailed from his home in Mainz, Germany, to New York in 1868, then made his way to California in 1869 after hearing that Napa Valley's soil resembled the vineyards back home. He became cellar foreman for Charles Krug, one of Napa Valley's earliest commercial winemakers. In 1875, Jacob and his brother Frederick purchased 215 acres next to Krug in St. Helena for $14,500, a parcel they called Los Hermanos, the brothers. Their first harvest and crush followed in 1876, with Jacob as winemaker and Frederick as financier, producing roughly 40,000 gallons (about 18,000 cases) of wine. The brothers built their winery against the hillside to use gravity-flow methods in the tradition of their native Rhine Valley; construction began in 1876 and the winery became operational for the 1877 harvest. Chinese immigrant laborers hand-dug the estate's aging tunnels into the hillside from the late 1870s into the early 1880s, work Beringer's own historic-property page puts at 1,200 linear feet of tunnel (a separate page on the winemaking history of founder Jacob Beringer gives a lower estimate of approximately 1,000 linear feet). The tunnels hold a constant temperature of 58 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

• Jacob Beringer emigrated from Mainz, Germany in 1868; joined by brother Frederick, they purchased 215 acres in St. Helena in 1875 for $14,500
• First harvest 1876 produced about 40,000 gallons (18,000 cases); the gravity-flow Old Winery began construction in 1876 and opened for the 1877 harvest
• Chinese immigrant laborers hand-dug the estate's wine caves in the late 1870s and early 1880s
• The land was originally known as Los Hermanos (the brothers)

At the center of the estate stands the Rhine House, completed in 1884 by architect Albert Schroepfer as Frederick Beringer's residence. Frederick modeled the 17-room Victorian mansion on the Beringer family's home at Mainz-on-the-Rhine, Germany, building it at a cost of about $28,000, including $6,000 for its 40 panels of stained glass. The Hudson House, built around 1850 by David Hudson (known for his role in the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt), already stood on the property when the Beringer brothers bought the land in 1875; Frederick had it moved 200 feet north on logs pulled by horses in 1883 to clear the site for the Rhine House. The property was registered as California Historical Landmark No. 814 on December 19, 1966. The Rhine House was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and the wider roughly eight-acre estate, encompassing the winery, residential buildings, and support structures, was separately listed on the National Register as the Beringer Brothers-Los Hermanos Winery historic district on August 17, 2001.

• Rhine House completed 1884 by architect Albert Schroepfer for about $28,000, modeled on the Beringer family home at Mainz-on-the-Rhine
• Hudson House (built circa 1850) was moved 200 feet north in 1883 to make way for the Rhine House
• California Historical Landmark No. 814, registered December 19, 1966
• Rhine House individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972; the broader 8-acre estate followed as a National Register historic district on August 17, 2001

When Prohibition began in 1920, Beringer secured a federal license to produce sacramental wine for churches, allowing it to keep operating through the dry years. Jacob Beringer Jr., who served as winemaker from 1911 to 1932, farmed 200 acres of vineyards and kept the winery producing roughly 15,000 cases of 'altar wine' annually until repeal in 1933. After Prohibition ended, Beringer became the first winery in California to open its doors for public tours, in 1934, a move that helped establish Napa Valley wine tourism. Winemaker Fred Abruzzini, who led winemaking from 1932 to 1956, expanded the effort in 1939 by handing out brochures and maps at the Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island, drawing visitors including Hollywood stars Carole Lombard and Clark Gable to the estate.

• Federal sacramental wine license allowed continuous production throughout Prohibition (1920 to 1933)
• Winemaker Jacob Beringer Jr. (1911 to 1932) farmed 200 acres and produced about 15,000 cases per year of sacramental wine
• First California winery to offer public tours after Prohibition, beginning in 1934
• Winemaker Fred Abruzzini promoted Napa Valley tourism at the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island

After Frederick Beringer's death in 1901 and Jacob Beringer's death in 1915, Jacob's children Charles and Bertha Beringer took over ownership of the winery. The family remained in control until 1971, when the Beringer family sold the winery and brand to Nestle. An investor group led by Texas Pacific Group acquired the company from Nestle on January 1, 1996, and took it public in 1997. Foster's Brewing Group of Australia acquired Beringer Wine Estates in a $1.5 billion deal announced in August 2000, and when Foster's spun off its wine division, Beringer became part of the newly formed Treasury Wine Estates in 2011, which remains its owner today. Through those ownership changes, only a handful of winemakers have held the top winemaking role: Myron Nightingale (1971 to 1984) introduced the Private Reserve program with his understudy, Ed Sbragia, who then led winemaking from 1984 to 2000. Laurie Hook, who had worked under both Nightingale and Sbragia since the 1980s, served as chief winemaker from 2000 to 2015. Mark Beringer, whom Beringer's own winemaking history describes as the great-great-grandson of founder Jacob Beringer, served as chief winemaker from 2015 to 2021, followed by Ryan Rech, who spent 2016 to 2023 at Beringer and rose from Luxury Red Winemaker to Chief Winemaker and General Manager. Margo Van Staaveren became winemaker in 2025.

• Sold to Nestle 1971; acquired by a Texas Pacific Group-led investor group January 1, 1996 (public 1997); Foster's Brewing Group 2000 ($1.5 billion deal); Treasury Wine Estates 2011
• Myron Nightingale (1971 to 1984) and assistant winemaker Ed Sbragia (chief winemaker 1984 to 2000) created the Private Reserve program
• Laurie Hook, chief winemaker 2000 to 2015; Mark Beringer, great-great-grandson of founder Jacob Beringer, chief winemaker 2015 to 2021
• Ryan Rech at Beringer 2016 to 2023, rising to Chief Winemaker and General Manager; Margo Van Staaveren became winemaker in 2025

Beringer farms a portfolio of named vineyards across several Napa Valley AVAs. In the St. Helena AVA, the 31-acre Chabot Vineyard supplied the fruit for the first Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in 1977, while the 48-acre St. Helena Home Vineyard, part of the original 1875 land purchase, has been a Private Reserve component since 1982. On Howell Mountain, the 89-acre Bancroft Ranch (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc) and the 36-acre Steinhauer Ranch (Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc), both at 1,800 feet, contribute fruit to the Private Reserve blend; Steinhauer Ranch is named for longtime vineyard manager Bob Steinhauer, who joined Beringer in 1979 and worked there for 26 years before retiring in 2005 (d. 2025). The 16-acre Pauli Vineyard, also on Howell Mountain, first contributed fruit to the 2009 Private Reserve blend. Beringer also farms sites in Oakville (Gamble Ranch), Oak Knoll (Big Ranch Road Vineyard), Mount Veeder (Lampyridae Vineyard), Spring Mountain (the 33-acre Marston Ranch), Carneros (Stanly Ranch Vineyard), and Yountville. Across the county line in Sonoma County, Beringer has owned and farmed vineyards in Knights Valley since the mid-1960s; the appellation was approved as an AVA in 1983, and the Knights Valley name first appeared on a Beringer label in 1974. All of Beringer's owned and leased vineyards are certified sustainable by third-party programs, including California Sustainable Winegrowing, the Fish Friendly Farming Program, and Napa Green Certified Winery; Beringer received the California Green Medal Leader Award in 2023.

• Chabot Vineyard (31 acres, St. Helena AVA) supplied the first Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon fruit in 1977; St. Helena Home Vineyard (48 acres) has been a Private Reserve component since 1982
• Bancroft Ranch (89 acres) and Steinhauer Ranch (36 acres), both at 1,800 feet on Howell Mountain, grow Private Reserve fruit; Pauli Vineyard (16 acres) joined the Private Reserve blend in 2009
• Beringer has owned and farmed Knights Valley (Sonoma County) since the mid-1960s; approved as an AVA in 1983, with the Knights Valley name first used on a Beringer label in 1974
• All of Beringer's owned and leased vineyards are third-party certified sustainable (California Sustainable Winegrowing, Fish Friendly Farming, Napa Green Certified Winery); California Green Medal Leader Award, 2023

Beringer's current wine lineup is topped by the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, launched with the 1977 vintage when the estate switched from American to French oak; the current release retails for $175 and recent vintages have scored 97 points. The Private Reserve Chardonnay followed in 1980, originally sourced from the Gamble Ranch in Yountville. Beringer is the only winery to have had both a red and a white wine named Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year: the 1986 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in 1990, and the 1994 Private Reserve Chardonnay in 1996, the first time a white wine had topped that list. Beyond Private Reserve, Beringer's current direct-to-consumer range includes single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from Chabot Vineyard, St. Helena Home Vineyard, Bancroft Ranch, Steinhauer Ranch, and Marston Ranch, plus a Knights Valley range (Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Red Blend, Mountain Rosé, and Mallacomes Cabernet Franc) and Distinction Series and Rhine House Reserve bottlings. Beringer's unbroken operation since 1876, its landmark Rhine House estate, and the Private Reserve program's decades of critical recognition make it one of the anchor names in Napa Valley wine history as it marks its 150th anniversary in 2026 under Treasury Wine Estates.

• Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon debuted with the 1977 vintage; current release $175, recent vintages scoring 97 points
• Private Reserve Chardonnay debuted with the 1980 vintage, originally sourced from Gamble Ranch in Yountville
• Only winery to have both a red and white wine named Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year (1986 Cabernet; 1994 Chardonnay, the first white wine to top the list)
• 150th anniversary in 2026, marking continuous operation since the 1876 founding

Primary sources (producer's own site, fetched as raw page text via curl): https://www.beringer.com/, /pages/pioneer-in-napa, /pages/historic-property, /pages/winemaking, /pages/sustainability-focus, /pages/knights-valley, /pages/best-vineyards-in-napa, /pages/150th-anniversary, /pages/visit, /collections/private-reserve-cabernet-sauvignon, /collections/knights-valley-wine, /collections/all-wines, /blogs/connect-with-beringer/150-years-of-modern-winemaking-excellence. Secondary sources: The Napa Wine Project; Wine Spectator, 'Beringer Vineyards Brings Back a Beringer' (2015 Mark Beringer hiring piece); the California Office of Historic Preservation's official Landmark 814 registry entry; Beringer Wine Estates Holdings' 1997 SEC Form S-1/A; the San Francisco Chronicle's Nov 22, 1995 report on the Texas Pacific Group deal; and Wine Spectator's Aug 28, 2000 report on the Foster's Brewing Group acquisition. Last verified 2026-09-09. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs for self-knowledge facts, and the government registry governs for the third-party landmark-registration year; see conflicts.json for the wine-cave tunnel length, California Historical Landmark registration year, Mark Beringer's generational relationship to founder Jacob Beringer, the Nestle acquisition year, who guided the winery through Prohibition, and the post-1915 family-ownership succession.