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FAMILY VINEYARDS - ESTABLISHED 1869 |
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History
Fred Weibel, Jr. |
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HistoryPioneers from the Alps
Before coming to San Francisco they had spent their first year in America working the 1937 vintage at the Columbia Winery in Vancouver, Washington. Even though it was a short stint for the Weibels in the Northwest, it was a fruitful one. Fred Emile met his Swiss wife, Hulda, and her brother, Oscar Habluetzal. The growing family moved from the Northwest to California. The immediate success of the William Tell Hotel wines necessitated a move to a larger facility in San Francisco's "south of the slot" (now called, "South of Market"). Again, they built on their reputation of quality in a city that had a European flair and an inherent interest in wine. But while it is possible to make good wines in the confines of an urban building, it is not possible to grow good grapes there! Up until then, the fruit had been shipped in from the surrounding wine growing regions. So when the defining moment of opportunity came in 1946 to purchase 100 acres of historical vineyards in Mission San Jose, the choice was obvious. Once again the Weibel Family moved to follow their dreams, this time from the cool marine air of San Francisco to the warm, arid climate of the South Bay. The Mission and The Guv
While the university across the bay thrived into the next century the Leland Stanford Winery did not. The vineyards went fallow because of the potent punch of phylloxera and prohibition. In 1917, the Stanfords finally sold the winery. The next thirty years saw various owners and commercial uses, including a period when it was a horse-racing track! Family and Vineyard ReplantedWhen he Weibel Family arrived in 1946 all that was left of the Leland Stanford Winery was a dilapidated brick building leaning against the hills that overlooked the gnarly grapevine stumps. After they purchased the winery, they rejuvenated the production area, replanted the vines and put Oscar Habluetzal in charge of winemaking (a job that lasted 37 years). All three families lived in the front section of the old winery until three homes were built on the property: first for Rudolph, then Oscar and his family, and finally Fred Emile and Hulda who had a new baby: Fred, Jr., the future President and CEO of Weibel Vineyards. In the following decades Weibel Vineyards also produced sweet and fortified wines, which were very much popular in the 1940's and 1950's. Then, in the early 1960's as the American palate began to shift toward drier table wines, they began planting and making Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. Also, in 1959 Weibel Vineyards introduced a zippy little white wine called Green Hungarian. The grape's origin is obscure, but there seems to be a connection to Hungarian-born Agoston Haraszthy - the godfather of California viticulture. Other wineries produced Green Hungarian, but Weibel Vineyards' version caught the fancy of new wine drinkers and, at its peak, they were making 80,000 cases a year of it. "It just clicked," said Fred, Jr., "Some people look down at wines that aren't totally dry. But there's always a need for something slightly sweet and with a zing. Hey, it's refreshing - and great with spicy food."
After fifty productive years in Mission San Jose Fred, Jr., relocated Weibel Vineyards along with family and longtime employees to another formidable wine-growing region in Woodbridge, California, just outside of Lodi. Here the family tradition continues with Oscar's son, Gary Habluetzal, in charge of production. The third Weibel Family generation is now working at the winery. Elise, Fred's daughter, works in the winery's Marketing and Sales department. And Fred's son, Justin, graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in enology and today is the winemaker at Weibel Vineyards. Into the Present with PanacheToday, the Weibel Family celebrates their seventh decade in the wine business with the legacy of wines such as Stone Creek. Weibel Vineyards' dedication to quality and value assures that there will always be "wines for everyone on any day." |
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Cabernet Sauvignon
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Copyright © 1997 -
Stone Creek Wines. All rights reserved. |
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In 1939 who could have imagined that those Swiss immigrants
making sparkling wine in the basement of San Francisco's William
Tell Hotel were the nucleus of an American tradition? Below the
bustle of Clay Street, Rudolph Weibel and his son, Fred Emile Weibel,
were just doing what came naturally - making quality wine as learned
from the classic traditions of their family heritage.
The
Mission San Jose acreage was originally owned in the 1800s by
California Governer Leland Stanford. Some say that Stanford's
original plan was to build a university there to honor the untimely
death of his fifteen-year-old son. But Mrs. Stanford thought that
the educational memorial would be better suited on a parcel west,
across the bay in Palo Alto - affectionately known then as "The
Farm". It is today known as Stanford University. Once the decision
was made in 1869 to found the university in Palo Alto, the Stanfords
proceeded to build a winery annexed with newly planted vineyards. It
also turns out that the afternoon breeze off the bay was just the
cool relief needed for the sun-drenched grapes of Mission San Jose.
Along
with fellow pioneers Paul Masson, Wente, and Almaden, Weibel
Vineyards helped revitalize the American wine industry after years
of prohibition, depression, and war. In retrospect, the State Fair
blue ribbons that they were awarded in the 1950s' and 1960's were
the early flags that signaled California's return to being one of
the great wine regions of the world.