Edmeades Winery
Edmeades Winery is a California winery historically associated with the post prohibition resurgence viticulture in Anderson Valley, located in Mendocino County. The winery traces its origins to 1964, when Donald Edmeades, a Southern California physician, planted approximately 24 acres (9.7 ha) of wine grapes near Philo, California. According to later accounts, Edmeades erected a roadside sign reading "Edmeades Folly", reflecting local skepticism about the commercial viability of wine growing in Anderson Valley at the time. [1]
Although Edmeades had no prior experience in viticulture, his decision followed a University of California, Davis agricultural survey, which concluded that Anderson Valley's cool climate and soils were suitable for premium wine grape production when matched with appropriate grape varieties. Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.)Winkler index. Italic text'In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.Italic text'Retrieved June 16, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winkler_index
His vineyard is widely recognized one of the earliest modern commercial wine growing ventures in Anderson Valley following the repeal of prohibition. [2][3]
In 1972, Edmeades Winery received federal bonded winery permit BW-CA-4596, establishing it as one of the earliest bonded wineries in Anderson Valley during the region's formation years of commercial wine production.[4] Other early wineries in the region included Husch Vineyards,Navarro Vineyards, and Lazy Creek Vineyards. [5]
During the 1970s, under winemaker Jed Steele, Edmeades increasingly shifted its focus toward Zinfandel, sourcing fruit from old-vine vineyards in Mendocino County. The winery subsequently developed a national reputation for premium California Zinfandel and became more closely associated with Mendocino County red wine production that with Anderson Valley's emerging cool-climate varietals.[6]
In 1988, Edmeades Winery was acquired by Jackson Family Wines (then associated with the growing Kendall-Jackson portfolio), marking a transition from an independent pioneering winery to a part of a larger California wine enterprise. [7]
References
- ↑ "The Edmeades Story". Edmeades Winery. Jackson Family Wines. Retrieved 16 June 2026.[non-primary source needed]
- ↑ "Prince of Pinot Article 457". Prince of Pinot. Unknown parameter
|access date=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ↑ Neill Bell and Anderson Valley Winegrowers (c.2010). Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association https://avwines.com/history/. Retrieved 2026-06-16. Text "title: The History of Anderson Valley" ignored (help); Check date values in:
|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ United States Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (1974-07-01). Bonded Wineries Directory (Report). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved 2026-06-16.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ Neill Bell and Anderson Valley Winegrowers (c.2010). Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association https://avwines.com/history/. Retrieved 2026-06-16. Text "title:The History of Anderson Valley" ignored (help); Check date values in:
|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Green, Allan, ed. (2025). Pioneers of Anderson Valley Wine. p. 57. Search this book on
- ↑ "Edmeades". Jackson Family Wines. Retrieved 2026-06-16.[non-primary source needed]
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