Pedroncelli

Pedroncelli, along with his brother, Jim, was a key figure in the history of the county's winemaking as it emerged from a craft business practiced by a few families after World War II to today's multibillion- dollar industry known worldwide. He was 2 when his family purchased the winery and moved to Geyserville in 1927. With the exception of serving two years as a radar man in the Coast Guard, Pedroncelli spent almost all of his life around the winery and was a daily fixture up until last year, even providing advice on 2014's early harvest. "He preserved the past while looking ahead to find innovative solutions in a changing winemaking environment," said Honore Comfort, executive director of the Sonoma County Vintners. "John's legacy will be his unwavering commitment to the land, to winemaking and to his family which epitomizes the spirit of Sonoma County's great wine families." Pedroncelli studied chemistry and botany at Santa Rosa Junior College and took enology courses at UC Davis, and in 1948 assumed winemaking duties from his father, John Sr. It was nearing the end of an era where the Pedroncelli family would make, sell and deliver its wine to grocery stores, local ranchers and families. Buyers could pull up to the winery and fill up a gallon of red or white wine for 45 cents. A year after taking over winemaking, Pedroncelli made a zinfandel for release bottled under his family's label, a variety that the winery would become wellknown for throughout its history. He also produced California's first zinfandel ros. The winery began a major expansion in the mid 1950s with installation of an automatic bottling line and an increase in storage capacity. Jim Pedroncelli became head of sales and marketing in 1957. It also became the one of the first wineries to market Sonoma County's appellation on its label.