SIMI Winery

Giuseppe and Pietro Simi left Tuscany, Italy, for California during the Gold Rush, and by 1876 the brothers had founded their winery in San Francisco, relocating to Healdsburg in 1881. When both brothers died suddenly within weeks of each other, Giuseppe's daughter Isabelle Simi took over management of the winery in 1904 at just 18 years old. She led the business for roughly the next seven decades. During Prohibition she kept the winery going through sacramental wine sales, and by the time Prohibition was repealed she had stockpiled roughly 500,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Isabelle sold the winery to Alexander Valley grape grower Russell Green in 1970, though she continued to make appearances at the tasting room afterward.

• Founded 1876 in San Francisco by Tuscan brothers Giuseppe and Pietro Simi; relocated to Healdsburg in 1881
• Isabelle Simi took over management in 1904 at age 18 after both her father and uncle died suddenly within weeks of each other
• Survived Prohibition through sacramental wine sales, emerging at Repeal with roughly 500,000 cases of stockpiled Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel
• Isabelle Simi sold the winery to grape grower Russell Green in 1970

Isabelle Simi was the first of several women to shape the winery. In 1973 Mary Ann Graf became head winemaker; she was the first woman to earn a UC Davis degree in fermentation sciences (enology), and stayed at Simi until 1979. Zelma Long succeeded her that year as head winemaker and went on to serve as president and CEO, credited with revitalizing the brand and expanding its vineyard holdings. As of the site's most recent listing, Lisa Evich and Rebecca Valls are named as the winemakers behind SIMI's current lineup.

• Mary Ann Graf, head winemaker from 1973 to 1979, was the first woman to earn a UC Davis fermentation sciences/enology degree
• Zelma Long succeeded Graf in 1979 as head winemaker, later serving as president and CEO; credited with modernizing and expanding the brand
• The winery's current wine pages list Lisa Evich and Rebecca Valls as winemakers

After Isabelle Simi sold the winery to Russell Green in 1970, it passed to French conglomerate Moet-Hennessy (now LVMH) in 1981, then to the predecessor of Constellation Brands in 1999. Constellation sold Simi to The Wine Group as part of a larger divestiture of lower-priced brands that closed June 2, 2025. Just months later, in November 2025, WarRoom Cellars, a Santa Margarita, California company founded in 2018 that specializes in acquiring and repositioning legacy wine brands, purchased the Simi brand from The Wine Group. The Wine Group retained ownership of the historic Healdsburg estate; only the brand itself transferred. Because WarRoom does not own vineyards or production facilities, the brand's existing arrangement continues: fruit sourced mostly from Sonoma County and some from the Central Coast is trucked to The Wine Group's Woodbridge, Lodi-area winery for production. Nicole Walsh, WarRoom Cellars' Director of Winemaking, now oversees winemaking for the Simi brand.

• Ownership chain: Isabelle Simi to Russell Green (1970) to Moet-Hennessy/LVMH (1981) to Constellation Brands' predecessor (1999)
• Constellation sold Simi to The Wine Group in a multi-brand deal that closed June 2, 2025
• WarRoom Cellars (founded 2018, headquartered in Santa Margarita, CA) bought the Simi brand from The Wine Group in November 2025
• The Wine Group retained the physical Healdsburg estate; production continues at The Wine Group's Woodbridge, Lodi-area winery using fruit trucked mostly from Sonoma County and the Central Coast
• Nicole Walsh, WarRoom Cellars Director of Winemaking, now oversees Simi winemaking

SIMI's current lineup, as listed on the brand's own site, is built around four wines: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. Fruit is sourced across California, with each wine blending grapes from several regions rather than coming from a single named estate vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, draws primarily from Sonoma County and the Central Coast, while the Chardonnay draws from Sonoma County, the Central Coast, the Central Valley, and Mendocino County. Annual production runs roughly 340,000 to 360,000 cases. The Healdsburg tasting room closed in 2023, and the brand moved to a wholesale-only distribution model.

• Current wine lineup: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc
• Cabernet Sauvignon sourced primarily from Sonoma County and the Central Coast; Chardonnay blends fruit from Sonoma County, the Central Coast, the Central Valley, and Mendocino County
• Annual production of roughly 340,000 to 360,000 cases
• Healdsburg tasting room closed in 2023; brand shifted to wholesale-only distribution

SIMI occupies a rare place in American wine history: a brand founded in 1876 that survived Prohibition, the Gold Rush era's aftermath, and more than a century of corporate change while turning 150 years old in 2026. Its story is anchored by a run of pioneering women in charge, from Isabelle Simi's teenage takeover through Mary Ann Graf's groundbreaking UC Davis credential and Zelma Long's tenure as head winemaker and CEO. The brand's 2025 double sale, first from Constellation Brands to The Wine Group and then from The Wine Group to WarRoom Cellars, with the historic Healdsburg estate staying behind under The Wine Group, illustrates how a legacy brand and its physical winery can now be split apart entirely. For students of American wine, SIMI traces the arc from immigrant family enterprise to national brand to specialist-owned label, decoupled from the ground that made it famous.

• Founded 1876, one of the few California wine brands to operate continuously since the 19th century and to survive Prohibition intact
• Defined by successive women winemakers and leaders: Isabelle Simi, Mary Ann Graf, and Zelma Long
• Turns 150 years old in 2026
• 2025 saw the brand sold twice in seven months, ending with the brand under WarRoom Cellars while The Wine Group retained the physical Healdsburg estate

Primary source: simiwinery.com, the WarRoom Cellars-owned brand's own site (home, about, wines, contact). Secondary sources: North Bay Business Journal / Press Democrat, Nov 24 2025, on the WarRoom Cellars acquisition; SF Chronicle, Nov 22-23 2025, independent corroboration of the acquisition and ownership chain; UC Davis Library, Mar 20 2025, on Mary Ann Graf and Zelma Long's UC Davis credentials; Press Democrat, Oct 20 2025, on Isabelle Simi's history and the pre-acquisition winemaking team. Last verified 2026-09-14.