When
the young German immigrant Jacob Beringer set off from New York to California
in 1870, he was prospecting for treasure. It was not gold that glittered in his
mind's eye, but the crystalline shine of fine wine. Born into the business, Jacob
studied winemaking and barrel-making and then served as cellarmaster for a wine
company in his hometown of Mainz. He followed his businessman brother Frederick
to New York in 1868, but rumors of prime grape-growing land lured him to Napa
Valley just 2 years later. Here, he found the soil types and climate he thought
suitable for European varietals, hills for carving out even-temperature caves,
and perhaps most important, a job -- as cellar foreman for Charles Krug. In partnership
with Frederick, Jacob purchased the property in 1875, including the vineyard known
today as St. Helena Home Vineyard -- a prime source of Cabernet Sauvignon for
the Private Reserve -- and the Hudson House that now serves as Beringer's Culinary
Arts Center. 
With over 20 years experience
growing wine grapes, Beringer vineyard manager, Bob Steinhauer, is one of the
most knowledgeable vineyard managers in California. Today, he manages over 10,000
acres of Beringer Wine Estates vineyard land in the Napa Valley and California’s
Central Coast. Bob explains that "owning our own vineyards allows us full control
over the grape-growing process, from what varietal to plant and where to plant
it, to farming practices and deciding when to harvest. We are constantly working
with new clones, new rootstock and new varieties, but in the end, especially when
it’s time to pick the grapes, we always rely on our green thumbs and our instincts."
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