She has been called the most awarded winemaker in America — and she earned it with a grape long dismissed as merely rustic. Carol Shelton is the “Queen of Zin,” and she has spent a career proving Zinfandel can be great.
Carol Shelton is one of the most decorated winemakers in California — a pioneer among women in the field and the acknowledged champion of America’s own grape, Zinfandel.[1] Warm, playful, and relentlessly excellent, she has won more medals than almost anyone in the country.
A rare path
Shelton began studying enology at UC Davis in 1974, under the legendary Ann Noble, becoming one of the first women to graduate in the field.[1] Early in her career she learned from two giants featured elsewhere on this site — the maestro André Tchelistcheff in California and, remarkably, the Baron of the Barossa Peter Lehmann in Australia.[1]
Falling for Zinfandel
During a 19-year run as winemaker at Windsor Vineyards, where she bottled dozens of wines a year, one variety kept winning her heart: Zinfandel.[1] In 2000 she founded her own label, Carol Shelton Wines, dedicated above all to single-vineyard Zinfandel from great old California sites — Dry Creek, Rockpile, the Russian River, Mendocino, and beyond — each bottling given its own whimsical name.[1]
She took the grape everyone underrated and made it sing — hundreds of medals’ worth.
Queen of Zin
Her mastery earned her the nickname “Queen of Zin,” the title of America’s most awarded winemaker, seven Winemaker of the Year honors, and recognition as one of the pioneering women winemakers of Sonoma County.[1] In a grape once tied to sweet, simple White Zinfandel, Shelton found — and proved — genuine greatness.
| Known as | “The Queen of Zin”; America’s most awarded winemaker[1] |
|---|---|
| Trained | UC Davis (from 1974); under Tchelistcheff & Lehmann[1] |
| Her winery | Carol Shelton Wines, founded 2000[1] |
| Specialty | Single-vineyard California Zinfandel[1] |
Part of the California story
Shelton’s Zinfandels are a proud modern chapter in California wine — and a redemption of the grape once known mainly for sweet White Zinfandel.
Related reading: André Tchelistcheff · Sutter Home & White Zinfandel · Napa Valley · the Wine History Timeline
Frequently asked questions
Who is Carol Shelton?
A California winemaker known as the “Queen of Zin” and often called America’s most awarded winemaker. A UC Davis-trained pioneer among women in the field, she founded Carol Shelton Wines in 2000, specializing in single-vineyard Zinfandel.
Why is she called the Queen of Zin?
Because she has devoted her career to Zinfandel and made it with extraordinary success — winning Winemaker of the Year seven times and hundreds of medals for her single-vineyard Zinfandels.
Sources
- “Carol Shelton” (California winemaker, the “Queen of Zin,” called America’s most awarded winemaker; UC Davis enology from 1974 under Ann Noble; early work with André Tchelistcheff and Peter Lehmann; 19 years at Windsor Vineyards; founded Carol Shelton Wines in 2000, specializing in single-vineyard Zinfandel; seven-time Winemaker of the Year), Wikipedia / Carol Shelton Wines. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Shelton
Want to read more?
Books we drew on and recommend for going deeper on California and wine history.
Cork DorkBianca Bosker
The World Atlas of WineHugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson
Maestro: André Tchelistcheff and the Rebirth of Napa ValleyJames O. GumpAs an Amazon Associate, Wine History Tours earns from qualifying purchases. This supports our research at no extra cost to you.
