1869
Jacob Beringer arrives in California and becomes Cellar Foreman for Charles Krug, one of the first commercial winemakers in Napa Valley. Krug's business was right next to the property that would become Beringer winery.
1875
Jacob and his brother Frederick purchase 215 acres in St. Helena for $14,500. This parcel of land, known first as Los Hermanos (The Brothers), will become the heart of the Beringer estate.
1876
The Beringer Brothers oversee their first harvest and their first crush. With Jacob serving as Winemaker and Frederick as financier, the brothers made approximately 40,000 gallons of wine, or 18,000 cases that first year.
1877
The first two floors of Old Stone Winery are completed, and Chinese workers begin digging 1,200 linear feet of tunnel where the wine will be aged and stored.
1883
To make room for what is now known as the Rhine House, Frederick Beringer has Jacob's residence, the Hudson House, moved using horses and logs to transfer it 200 feet north.
1885
The brothers plant the Elm trees that now form a verdant tunnel along Main Street, which runs in front of the winery in St. Helena
1887
Beringer wines win their first awards at the Mechanics Institute Exposition in San Francisco, just the first of many accolades over the years
1901
Frederick Beringer passes away, leaving Jacob Beringer sole proprietor of the Beringer winery.
1915
Jacob Beringer passes away, and the winery comes under the care of Charles and Bertha Beringer, two of Jacob's children.
1920 - 1933
The winery continues to operate through Prohibition under a federal license that allows wine to be made for religious purposes, so Beringer could sell sacramental wine to churches.
1934
Prohibition is repealed and Beringer becomes the first winery to offer public tours, sparking wine tourism in Napa Valley.
1939
During the Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco, Winemaker Fred Abruzzini distributes flyers and maps showing "the main highways to Beringer Bros. Winery and other interesting points...," further establishing Napa Valley as a tourist destination.
1940
Hollywood stars, like Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, visit the winery, and Beringer sells 40,000 cases of wine a year throughout the decade, which was a respectable figure for the time.
1967
The 91-year-old Beringer Winery is named a State Historical Landmark.
1971
Myron Nightingale joins Beringer as just the fifth winemaker in the winery's nearly 100-year history. He developed a special French Sauterne–style wine called, aptly, Nightingale, which is still made and bottled at the winery today.
1972
The Rhine House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1976
Ed Sbragia joins Beringer as Myron Nightingale's assistant. Together they launch the Private Reserve designation using specifically selected Cabernet and Chardonnay grapes.
1977
Beringer begins fermenting Chardonnay and Cabernet in French oak barrels.
1979
Bob Steinhauer becomes vineyard manager, and he and Ed begin what will become a legendary partnership. "Bob always says he gives me diamonds," Ed says, "and it's up to me to polish them."
1984
Ed Sbragia is promoted to Winemaker, becoming only the sixth person to hold the position in Beringer's history.
1988
Beringer commissions a fountain celebrating the first grapes planted in Napa Valley 150 years earlier. Sculpted by Ruth Asawa, it stands in the courtyard behind the Rhine House.
1989
Beringer becomes the first winery to develop a formal research and sensory evaluation program. Today, more than 250 employees participate in research and sensory trials.
1990
Wine Spectator names the Beringer 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon #1 Wine of the Year.
1996
Wine Spectator names the Beringer 1994 Chardonnay #1 Wine of the Year. Not only is it the first time a white wine has garnered this coveted award, but Beringer now has the distinction of being the first and only winery to have both a white and a red wine named #1 Wine of the Year.
2000
Laurie Hook is promoted to Winemaker of Beringer Vineyards. Ed Sbragia stays on as Winemaster Emeritus.
Beringer pledges a gift of $1,000,000 to COPIA, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa.
2001
Beringer's 125th anniversary, making it the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley.
2004
Maximus, the world's largest bottle of wine, is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. The bottle, which contained 173 bottles of Beringer 2001 Private Reserve Cabernet, sold for $47,500 at a charity auction.
2012
Beringer expands into Central Coast.
Wine Spectator names the Beringer 2009 Knights Valley Reserve #8 Wine of the Year.
2015
Jacob Beringer’s great, great grandson, Mark Beringer, comes “home” to Beringer as our Chief Winemaker. Laurie Hook transitions to Winemaker Emeritus.
