Trinchero: The American Dream Realized

If you’re looking for concrete evidence that the American Dream isn’t just an idealized fairytale, your search can end squarely at the door of Trinchero Family Estates. It’s an extraordinary success story — and one that winemaker Luigi Trinchero couldn’t have possibly envisioned when he left the tiny Italian town of San Marzanotto Alto for America in 1902.

“Given our humble beginnings, our family is very proud of what we’ve achieved,” says Bob Torres, Principal, Vice Chairman, and Director of Trinchero Family Estates, part of the third generation to continue the family’s winemaking legacy. “We have built one of the largest family-owned wine and spirits companies in the world, and we did it with integrity, humility, and passion for giving consumers what they want.”

One might say the family’s wine dynasty began when Luigi taught his sons, Mario and Marino “John” Trinchero, to make wine. They were living in New York City, and John was working in the wine industry in New Jersey. On a visit to Napa Valley in 1946, he found a dilapidated, long-ignored winery called Sutter Home on three and a half acres in St. Helena. It needed a lot of love, but John saw its potential. He convinced his brother to join him and Mario, eager to build a better life for his wife, Mary, and their three children, Bob, Roger, and Vera (Bob Torres’ mother), agreed. Eventually they would all find their place in the new family business.

Trinchero Family: Mario and Mary with children Bob, Vera, and Roger

Mario’s oldest son Bob began helping on the bottling line when he was 12 years old. Back then, the wine trade wasn’t a sure career bet, so Bob took jobs fighting forest fires and working at the local prune factory, then joined the Air Force. Things had changed by the time he was discharged in 1954 — Sutter Home Winery needed him. He began to find his footing in the cellar, and by 1960 he took over as winemaker. Then, one fateful day, he happened upon some red Zinfandel — a grape that, at the time, was used only for bulk production or jug wine. A light bulb went off: it tasted really good. He took a gamble and bought some grapes — his 1968 Amador County Red Zinfandel not only turned heads, it sold out.

Part of Bob’s process with red Zinfandel was to pull about 30 percent of the crushed juice off, to create a more robust flavor. At the end of the season, he would have quite a bit of this extra Zinfandel juice sitting around, so he fermented that, too, and made a rosé of sorts. Then in 1975, one batch got stuck during the fermentation process, leaving a slightly sweet, pink wine in the tank. Another light bulb went off: it tasted good, too. And with that, Sutter Home Winery launched the very first bottling of White Zinfandel. It revolutionized the way Americans enjoyed wine, and by 1987 it had become one of the best-selling wines in the country.

While the Trinchero family could have comfortably stopped there, they haven’t. Not only did their estate-owned vineyards expand from three acres to several thousand, but the Trinchero family business now encompasses over 50 brands of wine and spirits. In 2007 they launched a bespoke line of bottles: Trinchero Napa Valley — estate-grown, primarily Bordeaux varietals made exclusively for the label’s wine club, tasting room guests, and select wine shops and restaurants.

“Trinchero Napa Valley holds a very special place for my family. It is the first brand with the family name on it and was created to honor my grandparents, Mario and Mary Trinchero. Without their vision, perseverance, and dream for a better life, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” says Torres. “We will celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2023, so every decision we make is with the goal of building for another 75 years and the future generations of our family, our employees, our customers, and our consumers.”