About

Korbel is the largest sparkling wine producer in the United States. It is located in Sonoma County. Many grapes come from the Russian River area of Sonoma, but may be sourced throughout the state for specific wines.

Wine Tasting

Korbel offers daily tours with tastings with closures for major holidays . They also have the Korbel Delicatessen and Market on sight with a variety of lunches and snacks. Korbel wines and sparkling cocktails can be purchased by the glass and enjoyed on site. Tastings are available in the tasting room.

Wine Club

Korbel offers five different levels in their Korbel Wine Club ranging from 4 bottles shipped 4 times per year to 12 bottles shipped twice a year. Various styles of sparkling and still wine may be chosen. Benefits vary but include member only sales, event discounts as well as discounts on additional wine, brandy and merchandise purchases.

Annual Production

Approximately 1.2 million cases are produced annually.

Producer Style

The overall Korbel style leans toward sweet, fruity and soft.

Producer Type

Vineyard ownership information is not available. Korbel controls over 1700 acres. Many grapes come from the Russian River area of Sonoma, but may be sourced throughout the state for specific wines.

People

Current Owner

Division of F. Korbel Brothers, Inc. (privately owned)

President and Chairman

Gary Heck

Cellar Master

Erica Mandl

[NO IMAGE]/korbel-winery

History

Korbel Winery has been producing wine since 1882. They began making sparkling wine using the traditional method in the 1890s.
The three Korbel brothers, Anton, Francis and Joseph, were emigrants from what is now Czechoslovakia. Francis had been arrested during a protest of the monarchy in Prague and escaped from prison after two years confinement and fled the country. His brothers joined him in New York and they eventually made their way to California. Francis and his brothers started a cigar box manufacturing business in San Francisco and purchased land in Sonoma county for the redwood timber.
After a fire destroyed their factory in 1876, they focused their efforts on the timber business in Sonoma. After most of the trees had been cut down, they looked for new ways to profit from the land and eventually decided the area was ideal for grapes and a winery. The wine business grew throughout the 1880s. In the mid 1890s the first sparkling wine was produced after Franz Hazek came on board as a winemaker. During Prohibition the winery was allowed to make and sell small amounts of wine for religious and medicinal purposes. The winery was passed down to family members after the three brothers died. The family eventually decided to sell the winery after World War II with an agreement that the Korbel name would continue. It was sold to three brothers from Alsace, France: Paul, Ben and Adolf Heck in 1954. Adolf, the oldest took the reins and brought new creativity to the winery. He had already established himself as a winemaker at other wineries across the country. Adolf''s son, Gary, was appointed president in 1982. In 2003, Finnish born Paul Ahvenainen was appointed Director of Winemaking.
Korbel continues to label their sparkling wine "California champagne". The term "champagne" has been widely used in countries other than France until recently when the European Union and organizations such as the Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne objected to the use of the term "champagne" on labels of wines not specifically produced in the Champagne region of France. Korbel asserts that the term is used generically and points out that the law allows producers who have a long term established reputation and identity linked to the branding of their products to continue using that branding.