Celebrating five decades of winemaking excellence in Wine Country

""I get so excited during harvest time. It's what we live for, and this is the most magical time of year to be here," V. Sattui President Thomas C. Davies said. "If you drive up and down Highway 29, you can smell the harvest in the air. 550 wineries are crushing grapes all at the same time. You can smell that fermentation in the air.""

""We survived 50 years. In fact, we prospered for 50 years, and we've been a great success story," founder Dario Sattui said. "We made it to 50, and we're still family owned. That doesn't happen a lot here in the Napa Valley," Davies said. President Thomas C. Davies began his career at V. Sattui 46 harvests ago. "I was about the fifth employee hired. Very humble beginnings. My first job was the head corker. We hand corked and hand labeled every bottle," Davies said."

""My great-grandfather emigrated from Italy in 1882 who started the winery. My great-grandfather was successful until the advent of prohibition," Sattui said. " As a kid, I always dreamed about resurrecting my great-grandfather's winery, but I didn't do so until I was 32 years old." "The first wine I made wine was in 1975, 50 years ago, and it was not very good. And I admit to that," Sattui says with a chuckle. "A lot of wineries said: 'Keep off the lawn. No picnicking, 50 years ago. And so I decided to put in a deli, to put it in the picnic grounds, because my family, an Italian famil,y had picnics. And so I relied on that experience," Sattui says."

Harvest in Napa Valley fills the air with fermentation smells as 550 wineries crush grapes simultaneously along Highway 29. V. Sattui Winery celebrates its 50th anniversary crush while remaining family-owned and prosperous. Founder Dario Sattui traced family winery roots to a great-grandfather who emigrated from Italy in 1882 and stopped by prohibition; Sattui revived the winery at age 32. President Thomas C. Davies has participated in 46 harvests, starting as a head corker when employees hand-corked and hand-labeled bottles. Early vintages were imperfect, but the winery expanded hospitality by adding a deli and picnic grounds rooted in Italian family traditions.

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