Calwineries

Eugenio Pio Seghesio

Mr. Seghesio’s father was Eduardo Seghesio, the winemaker of the Italian Swiss Company during the 1890s. In 1895, Eduardo and his wife Angela bought the family’s original 56 acres in the Alexander Valley. They originally planted Zinfandel vines.

In 1902, the couple completed their winery in the town of Healdsburg. Their original production was sold in gallon jugs to a local market. They soon began to ship larger quantities by railroad to customers outside of the immediate area. The winery’s re-birth after the repeal of Prohibition was a notable exception in the region.

In the years before WW II, the winery became a major regional player. Many of their grapes were sold to other wineries. It was not until 1983 that the modern Seghesio Label was born.

After studying under Maynard Amerine at the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Department, Eugenio joined his family’s winery. But his career was interrupted for three years when he served in the army during World War II. He fought bravely in Italy and was awarded the Meritorious Service Commendation.

After the war, Mr. Seghesio immediately returned to the family business. He served as president of the company from 1965 to 1995. His tenure at the helm coincided with one of the most exciting and innovative times for California Wine Country.

As the general business model for many wineries shifted from quantity to quality, Mr. Seghesio was consistently ahead of the curve. Largely because of his efforts, the winery is currently one of the premium Zinfandel and Sangiovese producers in the state.

In recent years, Seghesio Vineyards and Winery has made great strides in quality control in their production facilities as well as in the vineyard. To celebrate their Centennial in 1995, production was deliberately decreased by two-thirds to improve quality. The family currently owns over 400 acres in the Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley. More than one-half of their vineyards are Zinfandel.