Marin Wine History

When did winemaking begin in Marin County?

We enjoyed reading the wonderful book Early Marin by Jack Mason which chronicles the turbulent history of Marin County and touches upon the extensive grape growing and winemaking that took place in Marin County since the early 1800's.

It is widely accepted that the San Rafael Mission brought vitis vinifera grapes to Marin County upon its establishment in 1817. From that point on, Marin County's residents recognized the county's unique climate, with its wet winters, dry summers, diverse soils and topography and abundant sunshine made Marin County a fantastic place to grow wine grapes. The Marin County Tocsin (a precursor to the Marin Independent Journal) reported on January 1, 1886 that German immigrant Hermann Zopf purchased 10 acres in San Rafael (now the site of Yardbirds Hardware) for $300. Zopf subsequently planted vines and developed a winery, saloon and restaurant. He called it "Zopf's Gardens" and it quickly became a famous resort frequented by San Francisco elite who enjoyed his "excellent claret wine".

Following Mr. Zopf, another early winemaker in Marin County was Frenchman Jean Escalle, whose brick winery site is still visible along Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur. In the 1890's Escalle planted his entire 23-acre hillside to grapes and put on a raucous "Vintage Festival" frequented by locals and San Franciscans alike. Escalles' Marin County wine production exceeded 9,000 cases per year and was delivered "just like a milk route" by a horse named "Pedro"! Long-time Marin resident Helen Wilson recalled, "Escalles' was a wonderful place. The French & Italians came here in droves on weekends to enjoy themselves. They brought their children and ate lunch. You could hear them singing all over town!" Another Frenchman, Camille Grosjean, was also noted for his 50-acre vineyard off Bolinas Road in Fairfax.

Finally, a Marin County souvenir booklet of 1893 describes viticulture (grape growing) in Marin county, "there is a vineyard connected with almost every estate in the county...all over San Rafael...and in the outskirts are vineyards of the choicest varieties of grapes...every dweller from Fairfax to Sausalito has his little vineyard."