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Sonoma County's Sebastiani Familyphoto credit: Sonoma County Winegrowers
What does it take to consistently keep a farm running for a century or more? There are at least 22 families in Sonoma County who know the secret.
It was like a family reunion at the inaugural Century Club celebration. Twenty-two families who have been farming in the region for at least 100 years, and who currently grow wine grapes, were recently honored by the Sonoma County Winegrowers association.
Karissa Kruse, President and CEO of the Winegrowers, says the idea for the Century Club came about while attending the 100th anniversary of Serres Ranch, in the Valley of the Moon, this past summer.
She says there are some commonalities across the families.
“Fifteen out of 22 of the farming families have farmed prunes in addition to wine grapes right now. Eleven out of the 22, so half of them have had cattle. Eight out of 22 have had apples. Fifteen of them are on their fifth, sixth, or seventh generation," said Kruse.
Kruse says they are also some of the most influential families in Sonoma County’s wine industry.
“So many of them were really pioneers in terms of being founders in the different AVAs we have around Sonoma County," Kruse said. "Because originally, I thought, you know what, they might all have kind of been collected in the Russian River Valley, or maybe up in Dry Creek with kind of the Italian families. But we had some of these founding pioneering families, from Sonoma Valley, Rockpile, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Green Valley, Fountaingrove, Dry Creek. So, really representing just kind of our entire community," Kruse continued.
The families, and their businesses, have weathered numerous challenges over the decades; from devastating vineyard diseases and Prohibition, to wars, economic depressions, and even pandemics.
Kruse says that wine writer Virgine Boone believes this concentration of enduring farming families is unique.
“She doesn't think there's another region, kind of in the New World of wine, that would have that many families that have been farming for more than a hundred years. Certainly not in California," said Kruse.
Kruse says they will continue to honor the families every year, share stories, and induct new ones as they hit the century milestone.
“We have both the Pedroncellis and the Sangiacomos coming up in 2027," explained Kruse.
Sonoma County Winegrowers honored the 22 families with vineyard signs, commemorative pins, and Congressional certificates.
