The History of Steinbeck Wines

Not every immigrant wine story is about a famous name or an overnight triumph. Some are about staying — about one family working the same California soil for seven generations, growing grapes for others, and only lately putting their own name on the bottle. That is the quiet, deeply American tale of Steinbeck Wines in Paso Robles¹.

From Illinois to Paso Robles

The story begins with the Ernst family, of German stock, who left Geneseo, Illinois, and settled southeast of Paso Robles in 1884 — naming their new community Geneseo after the town they had left behind. They planted vineyards and made wine, becoming pioneers of what would grow into one of California’s great wine regions². In 1921 the family bought the property that is still the heart of the estate today³.

Seven generations of farmers

For most of that long history, the Steinbecks were farmers rather than vintners. They grew grapes and sold the fruit to other wineries, quietly building a reputation for quality across decades and generations. Theirs is the unglamorous backbone of American wine: the growing families whose names rarely appear on a label, but without whom there would be no wine at all³.

Farming the same Paso Robles land since 1884.— the Steinbeck family²

Their own label, at last

Then, in 2006, Howie Steinbeck, his wife Bev and their daughter Cindy decided to keep a little of their harvest for themselves. Using just about one percent of their grapes, they launched Steinbeck Wines to show what their own vineyards could do⁴. To share the land’s story, the family created the “Crash Course” — a vineyard tour in a vintage Jeep, always led by a family member, that has become one of Paso Robles’ signature experiences⁵.

The long American story

In an industry that loves overnight legends, Steinbeck is a reminder of the slower truth: American wine was built as much by patient immigrant farming families as by celebrity winemakers. Seven generations after the Ernsts arrived from Illinois, the same family still works the same ground — and now, at last, signs their name to the wine it makes.

Frequently asked questions

Read more

• How immigrants built American wine
• Beringer, another German-American winery
• André Tchelistcheff, the émigré maestro

References

1. Steinbeck Wines — Our Story. ↑
2. Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County — Harold (Howie) Steinbeck: Seven Generations Farming and Making Wine. ↑
3. Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance — Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery. ↑
4. Central Coast Wine Country — Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery. ↑
5. The California Wine Club — Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery. ↑

Recommended reading

Vintage: The Story of Wine

Hugh Johnson

A history that honours the growers and farming families at the roots of every wine region.

A Short History of Wine

Rod Phillips

On how immigrant families across generations built the American wine industry.

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