Sterling Vineyards

Sterling Vineyards, in Calistoga, California, is a large high-end winery that achieved international recognition when it won first place in the Ottawa Wine Tasting of 1981. Visitors to the winery take a short tram to gain access.

Sterling Vineyards farms 1,200 acres of vines in various parts of Napa Calley. Production emphasizes Bordeaux and Burgundy-style wines, and is split in several tiers: the entry-level "Napa Valley" wines for which it is most famous, "Reserve" wines (their highest level), "Single Vineyard" wines (specialty wines for enthusiasts), "Vintner's Collection" (value wines for restaurants and mass distribution), and "Cellar Club" (limited production and eclectic wines for their wine club members).

It is a popular destination for tourists, in part for an aerial tram that shuttles visitors from a parking lot to the winery winery, which sits on a volcanic hill 300 feet above the valley floor. The building is designed to appear like the white villages of the Greek island Mykonos, and incorporates bells from St. Dunstans's in London, England, a church destroyed in World War.

History

English expatriate Peter Newton founded the company in 1964, with the first year of production in 1969. He planted Merlot and Chardonnay, now very common in Napa Valley, at a time most vineyards were focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon. Under long-time winemaker Ric Forman (later of Abreu Vineyards), they released California's first vintage-dated Merlot.[3] The Coca Cola Company bought the winery in 1977, in a short-lived attempt to enter the wine market. Seagram bought the winery in 1982, and was in turn purchased by Diageo in 2001.