D'Agostini Winery

D'Agostini Winery is a historic California wine name with two related but distinct physical and commercial identities. The original vineyard, winery, and wine cellar are in Plymouth, in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley, while the D'Agostini label is produced by Armagan Champagne Cellars in Healdsburg, Sonoma County. This separation is central to understanding the brand: wines sold under the D'Agostini name are made by Armagan, whereas wine made from the original Amador County vines is associated with Sobon Estate Winery, which acquired the vineyard and cellar from the D'Agostini business in 1989. The winery's history begins in 1856, when Adam Uhlinger, a Swiss immigrant, established a vineyard and winery in Amador County and brought grapevines from Europe to California. The site is regarded as the oldest winery in California that continues to operate. It has a particularly strong association with Zinfandel: the property has maintained a continuous tradition of producing Zinfandel, and some of its old vines remain productive. Earlier accounts sometimes described the property as the first place where Zinfandel was planted in California, but later historical research concluded that several people participated in introducing the variety and that a definitive first planter cannot be identified. The winery received its present name after Enrico D'Agostini purchased the property and its 125 acres of vineyard in 1911. His name became attached to the winery and subsequently to the wine label. In 1984, Armagan Champagne Cellars purchased the business. Five years later, the Amador County vineyard and wine cellar were sold to the Sobon family. The transaction created the modern division between the D'Agostini label and the original estate: Armagan retained responsibility for wines marketed under the D'Agostini name, while Sobon Estate became the steward of the historic Plymouth property and its old-vine production. The original cellar remains standing. Built with rock quarried from nearby hills, hand-hewn timber beams, and oak casks, it is now part of the Shenandoah Valley Museum, where agricultural and winemaking artifacts are displayed. The site is also recognized as a California Historical Landmark, giving the D'Agostini name significance beyond its commercial wine activity. D'Agostini's present identity is therefore rooted in heritage, California wine history, and old-vine Zinfandel rather than in a large multinational brand structure. The name continues to appear on wines produced by Armagan Champagne Cellars, while the historic estate, cellar, and original vines are interpreted and operated through Sobon Estate's Amador County activities. Because the brand's production, ownership, and historic property are divided between different operators, descriptions of D'Agostini Winery should distinguish the commercial label from the original Plymouth winery.

D'Agostini Winery traces its origin to 1856, when Adam Uhlinger, a Swiss immigrant, established a vineyard and winery in Plymouth, Amador County, California. Uhlinger brought grapevines from Europe and planted them in the Shenandoah Valley. The property became one of the foundational wine sites in the region and is recognized as the oldest winery in California that continues to operate. The estate has long been linked with Zinfandel. Some historical descriptions credited it as the first California site to plant the variety, but subsequent research has shown that Zinfandel reached California through the work of multiple people. As a result, identifying a single first planting is not considered possible. The property nevertheless retains an important distinction: it is the oldest California winery with a continuous Zinfandel-making tradition, and some original vines remain in production. In 1911, Enrico D'Agostini acquired the winery and its 125 acres of vineyard. The winery subsequently took his name, creating the D'Agostini identity used in later commercial wine production. Ownership changed again in 1984, when Armagan Champagne Cellars purchased the business. In 1989, the Amador County vineyard and wine cellar were sold to the Sobon family. This division left Armagan responsible for wines sold under the D'Agostini label, while the Sobon family became associated with the original Plymouth property and wines made from its historic vines. The original cellar is a surviving element of the estate's nineteenth-century history. Its construction includes locally quarried rock, hand-hewn beams, and oak casks. The building is now part of the Shenandoah Valley Museum, which presents agricultural and winemaking artifacts. The historic property is also registered as a California Historical Landmark. The modern D'Agostini story is consequently not that of a single fully integrated winery. It is a divided heritage: a commercial label produced by Armagan Champagne Cellars and a historic Amador County estate, vineyard, and cellar owned by Sobon Estate Winery. The brand's importance rests on its connection to the development of California wine, the early cultivation of Zinfandel in Amador County, and the preservation of a continuously operating winery site.

1. 1989Original Amador County property sold to the Sobon family

   The original vineyard and wine cellar in Amador County were sold to the Sobon family, separating the historic estate from the D'Agostini label's production business.

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2. 1984Armagan Champagne Cellars purchases the business

   Armagan Champagne Cellars acquired the D'Agostini winery business and later produced wines sold under the D'Agostini label.

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3. 1911Enrico D'Agostini acquires the property

   Enrico D'Agostini purchased the winery and its 125 acres of vineyard, after which the winery became associated with his name.

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4. 1856Winery established in Amador County

   Swiss immigrant Adam Uhlinger established the vineyard and winery in Plymouth and introduced grapevines brought from Europe.

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5. Original cellar becomes part of the Shenandoah Valley Museum

   The historic cellar, built from local rock with hand-hewn beams and oak casks, became part of the Shenandoah Valley Museum and its agricultural and wine-history exhibits.

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A heritage California wine brand associated with old-vine Zinfandel, early Amador County viticulture, and one of the state's oldest continuously operating winery sites.

• D'Agostini label winesWine

  Wines marketed under the D'Agostini name are produced by Armagan Champagne Cellars. The label represents the commercial continuation of the winery name after the business and original Amador County property became separated through changes in ownership. Specific varietal and vintage information is not established in the supplied reference material.

• Historic-vine ZinfandelWine

  Zinfandel made from grapes associated with the original Plymouth vineyard is produced through the Sobon Estate operation. The property is notable for maintaining California's oldest continuously operating Zinfandel-making tradition, with some original vines still in production. These wines should be distinguished from wines sold under the D'Agostini label by Armagan Champagne Cellars.

• 1989Separate the historic estate from the D'Agostini label businessM&A

  Following Armagan Champagne Cellars' 1984 acquisition of the business, the original Amador County vineyard and cellar were sold to the Sobon family in 1989.

  What changed. The D'Agostini label continued as an Armagan-produced wine identity, while the historic Plymouth property became part of the Sobon Estate operation.

  Aftermath. The transaction created the brand's continuing dual structure: commercial D'Agostini wines are associated with Armagan, and the original vineyard, cellar, and old-vine production are associated with Sobon Estate.

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1. D'Agostini Winery