Sbrigia
Sonoma County region
92 Points, Stephan Tanzer - 91 Points, Robert Parker
As a student, Ed Sbragia (pronounced Spra-ghia) tried to get out of being in the wine business, but his effort in that regard failed. Simply stated, the Sbragia family has been in the wine business for generations, first in their native Italy (in the North, around Lucca) and lately in the confines of Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Ed Sbragia’s grandfather came to the United States in the very late 1800’s and married and parented Ed’s father, Gino, who became a noted winemaker. The family always assumed Ed would follow in his father’s footsteps, but Ed decided differently. He graduated from UC Davis with a degree in chemistry and attempted to find work in a field unrelated to wine, but jobs were hard to come by at the time and he finally landed a position as a research chemist with E. & J. Gallo Winery. The experience changed Ed’s attitude about wine and the industry, as he saw for the first time what the combination of science and agriculture could accomplish. After going on to study Enology at Fresno State and working for some time at the prestigious Beringer Brothers Winery in St. Helena, Ed was ready to start his own family winery. He began investing in vineyard property and today owns 47 acres that he calls the Home Ranch. In 2001, he released his first wines under Sbragia Family Vineyards and also acquired the old Lake Sonoma Winery that immediately became the winery’s new home. Today, Sbragia’s wines are incredibly well received with high marks and numerous medals to its credit.
