Weibel Family Winery: Mendo history and event venue in Hopland

By 1959, Weibel, already known for sparkling wine, became famous for its Green Hungarian, a slightly sweet white wine beloved by many (including my great uncle Thaddeus Cline, who bought it by the case and lived to be nearly 100). Weibel's contemporary v

Weibel is a family name long associated with winemaking in Mendocino County. "In the 1970s, Weibel was one of the big family-owned wineries right up there with Parducci and Fetzer," says Margaret Pedroni, who is Weibel's tasting room and event manager in Mendocino County.

In 1971, the Weibel family built their first tasting room along Highway 101 north of Ukiah. The Mission San Jose-based winery (now based in Lodi) modeled the design after an inverted champagne glass in honor of the popular sparkling wine Weibel continues to have as a major wine in its portfolio. That tasting room and winery now belong to Barra of Mendocino winery, which purchased it in 1995.

Weibel's new location on Highway 175 is about four miles from Hopland in the pristine McDowell Valley. Like its first facility in Mendocino County, this one offers custom crush to vintners who want to make wine without the responsibility and cost of building their own winery.

Weibel Family Winery's beautiful handcrafted redwood tasting room and winery (and event center) is a continuance of the Weibel family legacy. Their new Mendocino location has a long and varied history, which makes a visit all the more interesting and attractive.

Let's begin with the Weibel family which began making wine in their native Switzerland. In the 1930s, Rudolf Weibel and his son Fred, Sr. immigrated to the United States. Within a decade they were making sparkling wine in the basement of the William Tell Hotel in San Francisco. In 1946, the Weibels purchased 100 acres of historic vineyards and started the family winery in Mission San Jose, now Fremont.
By 1959, Weibel, already known for sparkling wine, became famous for its Green Hungarian, a slightly sweet white wine beloved by many (including my great uncle Thaddeus Cline, who bought it by the case and lived to be nearly 100). Weibel's contemporary version is called GH and is made with the same flavor profile as the original and appeals to those who like a mellow white table wine.

Fred Jr. is now at the helm of Weibel. He and his wife, Judy, live in Stockton, along the Delta and their winery headquarters are in Lodi. He is an avid pilot who volunteers for Angel Flight West, transporting individuals for medical treatment. Their son Justin, a graduate of the UC Davis viniculture program, is Weibel's fourth-generation winemaker. He oversees the Hopland winery and their sparkling wine facility in Lodi.

The Weibel Family Winery offers a serene location for weddings and other special occasion events. Surrounded by vineyards in the valley and encircled by rolling hillsides the setting, says Pedroni, is perfect for many types of events.

Surrounded by vineyards owned by other wineries, Weibel is about to plant 28 acres in front of the tasting room in the spring. The tasting room is an artisanal masterpiece built of stone and handcrafted redwood with graceful carved touches around the tasting bar and the stone fireplace that covers one wall. It was built by the Crawford family in 1978 for their McDowell Valley Vineyard winery.

Over the years, the winery has changed hands between various custom crush operations while making many of Mendocino's historic labels including McDowell, Hidden Cellars and Patianna. In addition to custom crushing wine for other labels, Weibel has used its multifaceted winery capabilities to create a range of wine brands such as Knightsdale and Truscott. Weibel's Road I label designates a white and a red table wine made from Mendocino County grapes grown on Weibel owned vineyards. The white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and the red combines Merlot and Syrah.

The focus now is on Weibel Family classics including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel made with Mendocino fruit grown at their vineyards in Redwood Valley and Potter Valley. Weibel's Cabernet Sauvignon is made with grapes from Alexander Valley a short distance south off Highway 101 in Sonoma County.

"This is a fun tasting room," says the slim, stylish and personable Pedroni, wearing an alpaca poncho a friend recently brought back from Peru and leopard print slacks and heels. Part of the fun comes from the variety of sparkling wines.

"We have two California Champagnes and four fruit flavored sparkling wines," says Pedroni. All Weibel sparkling wine begins with French Colombard grapes. It is made in the "charmant" method whereby a "cold secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks." Their Grand Cuvee is an off dry sparkler with small bubbles and a go-with-anything flavor. Their Stanford Brut "has elements of peach, apricot and hazelnut, which makes it complementary with cheeses as well as the salad course."

For Pedroni, the bonus is the range of flavors of the popular Sparkelles. "I always bring Sparkelle to wine tastings," she says, adding that it is an immediate hit and the orders and repeat customers are growing.

All the Sparkelle flavors are from natural ingredients and infused into the wine, giving them bright intense flavors, which include Pomegranate, Peach, Raspberry and Almond. In her spare time Pedroni created a dozen cocktail recipes using Sparkelle including the Hopland Highball which combines vodka, Chambord and Pomegranate Sparkelle and the Mendocino Cosmo made with Raspberry Sparkelle, raspberry vodka, Triple Sec, and Chambord.

Working closely with Fred and Justin Weibel, Pedroni oversees the consumer marketing for Weibel. She was born and raised in the southern Sierras in the hamlet of Kernville with a population of 600. "We had rattlesnakes on the front porch and bears in the orchard," she shares. She left after high school and received her degree in Social Sciences and English Composition from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She moved to Ukiah in 1985. While raising her son Ben, she trained for triathlons, of which the high point was taking fifth place in her age group in the 2002 Ironman World Championship competition in Kona. She retired from Ironman competitions the next year. "Now I drink lots of wine and eat lots of cheese," she says with glee.

Pedroni started working in Mendocino's wine business when she got a job at Jeriko Winery and worked with Daniel Fetzer for three-and-a-half years. She's been at Weibel since April of last year and still finds time to do interior design on the side. "This suits me. I love Mendocino County, the wines and the industry." And she loves the details about grape growing and winemaking, she tells me as we walk past the lab where grape and barrel samples are checked.

Heading downstairs to the barrel room, which is one of the favorite event locations, she says, "We can arrange the barrels and decorate to any taste and style." Sixteen-foot-high double redwood doors open to the garden and lawn area, where many weddings have been performed.

Back in the tasting room filled with ambient light from all the windows, jazz music plays in the background. Pedroni sets out tasting glasses and I look around, feasting on the view, peering through the round window into a darkened barrel cellar, and examining the handcrafted woodwork which sets the tone for the family's wines. Closed Sunday and Monday except by appointment, Weibel Family Vineyards is worth a visit to discover the new-old Mendocino grown wines and experience the ongoing Weibel story and their tranquil scene.

"I never grow weary of the view," says Pedroni, looking out over the spindly winter pre-pruned vines jutting between tiny tufts of green grass. "It changes daily with the light and the season."

Tasting Notes: Weibel Family's 2008 Mendocino Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect post holiday palate refresher. Crisp with a citrusy aroma and rich body, we sipped and savored it with pasta topped with reheated pesto we had frozen in ice cube trays from the summer bounty. (And to make serving it with ease, it has a screw top; happy new year).