A stuck fermentation in a St. Helena cellar in 1975 produced a sweet pink wine no one had planned to make — and it went on to become one of the best-selling wines in America.
In the heart of Napa Valley, in the town of St. Helena, sits Sutter Home — a winery whose history stretches back to 1874, but whose greatest fame came from a happy accident that would change American drinking habits for a generation.[1]
An old winery, a new family
The Sutter Home name dates to the 19th century, but the modern story begins in 1948, when the Trinchero family, immigrants from Italy, bought the then-struggling winery.[1] For decades they made ordinary jug wines. Then, in the 1970s, Bob Trinchero turned his attention to Zinfandel — and stumbled into history.
The accident that made a phenomenon
To make his red Zinfandel more intense, Trinchero was “bleeding off” some of the pink juice early — a technique that left him with a dry, pale wine he began bottling as “White Zinfandel” in 1972.[1] Then, in 1975, a batch suffered a stuck fermentation: the yeast quit before converting all the sugar, leaving the wine noticeably sweet and pink. Rather than discard it, Trinchero bottled it — and customers adored it.[1]
The wine that was never meant to exist became the wine that America could not stop drinking.
Sweet, soft, inexpensive, and easy to love, Sutter Home White Zinfandel became a runaway hit through the 1980s, at its peak one of the best-selling wines in the United States and the engine that turned Sutter Home into a giant.[1]
The wine that saved old vines
White Zinfandel is often dismissed by connoisseurs, but it did something remarkable: its enormous popularity created demand for Zinfandel grapes, which helped save California’s old-vine Zinfandel vineyards from being torn out during a period when few people wanted red Zinfandel at all.[2] Those gnarled old vines, preserved by a sweet pink accident, are now treasured for some of California’s most serious red wines.
| Where | St. Helena, Napa Valley[1] |
|---|---|
| Trinchero era | Family bought the winery in 1948[1] |
| The breakthrough | White Zinfandel — a 1975 stuck-fermentation accident[1] |
| The impact | A 1980s best-seller; helped save old-vine Zinfandel[2] |
More from the valley
Sutter Home is one thread in the larger tapestry of Napa Valley’s history — a story that also runs through the giant E & J Gallo and the world-changing Judgment of Paris.
Related reading: Napa Valley and its history · E & J Gallo · the Wine History Timeline
Frequently asked questions
Who invented White Zinfandel?
Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home in Napa Valley. He was making a dry pink “White Zinfandel” from 1972, but the sweet version that became famous resulted from a 1975 stuck fermentation, which left residual sugar in the wine.
Why does White Zinfandel matter to wine history?
Its huge popularity in the 1980s created demand for Zinfandel grapes, which helped preserve California’s old-vine Zinfandel vineyards that are now prized for high-quality red wines.
Sources
- “Sutter Home Winery” (founded in the 19th century; bought by the Trinchero family in 1948; Bob Trinchero’s White Zinfandel from 1972, the sweet version resulting from a 1975 stuck fermentation; its rise to a best-selling American wine), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Home_Winery
- “White Zinfandel” (the sweet rosé style whose popularity created demand that helped preserve California’s old-vine Zinfandel), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Zinfandel
Want to read more?
Books we drew on and recommend for going deeper on wine history.
9000 Years of Wine: A World HistoryRod Phillips
The World Atlas of WineHugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson
Wine Folly: Magnum Edition — The Master GuideMadeline Puckette & Justin HammackAs an Amazon Associate, Wine History Tours earns from qualifying purchases. This supports our research at no extra cost to you.
