Pioneers from the Alps

In 1939 who could have imagined that those Swiss immigrants making sparkling wine in the basement of San Francisco's William Tell Hotel were the nucleus of an American tradition? Below the bustle of Clay Street, Rudolph Weibel and his son, Fred Emile Weibel, were just doing what came naturally - making quality wine as learned from the classic traditions of their family heritage.

Before coming to San Francisco they had spent their first year in America working the 1937 vintage at the Columbia Winery in Vancouver, Washington. Even though it was a short stint for the y moved from the Northwest to California.

The immediate success of the William Tell Hotel wines necessitated a move to a larger facility in San Francisco's "south of the slot" (now called, "South of Market"). Again, they built on their reputation of quality in a city that had a European flair and an inherent interest in wine. But while it is possible to make good wines in the confines of an urban building, it is not possible to grow good grapes there! Up until then, the fruit had been shipped in from the surrounding wine growing regions. So when the defining moment of opportunity came in 1946 to purchase 100 acres of historical vineyards in Mission San Jose, the choice was obvious. Once again the Weibel Family moved to follow their dreams, this time from the cool marine air of San Francisco to the warm, arid climate of the South Bay.

San Francisco's William Tell Hotel in 1939

Next: The Mission and The Guv