1848

Giuseppe Simi leaves the Tuscan hills to seek his fortune in the gold fields of California

1876

Giuseppe and his brother Pietro produce their first wine in San Francisco made from grapes grown in Healdsburg

1881

With only 2,250 dollars in gold coins, the Simi brothers purchase a winery on Front Street near the train depot in Healdsburg. Within a year, the hard-working brothers grew Simi into the third largest of the region's seven wineries.

1890

Simi's first stone cellar is constructed.

1893

Giuseppe and Pietro buy 126 acres of land north of the winery, beginning Simi's long history of estate-grown grapes.

1904

The first harvest at Simi's present-day Healdsburg winery. Simi's stone cellars are expanded to twice their size. Later that year both Simi brothers die. Giuseppe's daughter, Isabelle, takes over management of the winery at the age of eighteen.

1920

Prohibition begins and anticipating a quick repeal of the Volstead Act, Isabelle sells all the vineyard holdings to keep possession of cellared wines.

1933

Prohibition is repealed and Simi is immediately prepared to sell off over 500,000 cases of perfectly cellared wines to the thirsty public.

1934

Isabelle establishes Simi's first retail outlet, a tasting room fashioned from a 25,000 gallon Champagne barrel installed in front of the winery's stone cellars.

1970

Isabelle Simi retires after selling winery to grower Russell Green. Russell brings in expert winemakers, including Robert Stemmler and Mary Ann Graf, America's first woman winemaker. Legendary Andre Tchelistcheff, who was newly retired from Beaulieu, served as a consulting enologist.

1979

Zelma Long, one of California's most prominent female winemakers, joins Simi and directs a major renovation of the winery's fermentation and barrel rooms

1982

Simi acquires Landslide Vineyard in southern Alexander Valley and begins the first step towards single-vineyard wines.

1985

World-renowned French winemaker Michel Rolland takes Simi on as his very first U.S. client, beginning a long relationship that will further strengthen the Simi winemaking team's efforts.

1989

Simi purchases 100 acres in the Russian River Valley and begins development of Goldfields Vineyard planting Chardonnay field selections and clones.

1990

Simi celebrates 100 years of winemaking in the stone cellars and a new, private hospitality center replaces Isabelle's redwood-barrel tasting room.

1991

Nick Goldschmidt is promoted to head winemaker at Simi, leading Simi to the next chapter in its rich history.

2000

Simi produces its first vineyard-designated red Bordeaux-varietal wine, Landslide Vineyard Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

2003

Internationally acclaimed winemaker Steve Reeder joins Simi Winery.

Today

Simi is invested in over 600 acres of vineyard land in Alexander Valley and 100 acres in Russian River Valley. The delicate balance of adhering to tradition and forging new innovations in winemaking is alive and well at Simi, one of California's oldest and most venerated wineries.