An immigrant’s dream, a twist of fate, and Napa Valley on the brink of a new era—this is the Salvestrin story
As luck would have it
In 1932, with Prohibition still casting its melancholy shadow over Napa Valley’s golden landscape, Giovanni and Emma Salvestrin took a leap of faith—not an unfamiliar act for two immigrants who fled the war-torn hills of their home in Northern Italy just a decade earlier in search of a new beginning.
They purchased a portion of Dr. George Belden Crane’s historic ranch, a vineyard planted in 1859, unknowingly rooting their family’s future in one of Napa’s most historically significant vineyard sites. One year later, as luck would have it, Prohibition was repealed, and the family business found its footing, farming and selling Salvestrin-Dr. Crane Estate fruit to the Napa Valley Co-Op. Together, they raised two children, Nellie and Ed.
The Original Crane House, 1900—A landmark of early Napa Valley, standing at the heart of Dr. Crane’s historic vineyard.
Giovanni "John" Salvestrin and his son, Ed, circa 1939
Giovanni "John" Salvestrin and his son, Ed, circa 1942
Ed Salvestrin in the vineyard, circa 1942
John Salvestrin proudly showcasing his foraged bounty—wild mushrooms from the hills of Napa Valley, 1954. A cherished family tradition.
John and Emma Salvestrin sharing a laugh by the orange tree, 1960
“Napa has a long history of immigrant families coming to the valley and helping to fuel the wine industry. Names such as Mondavi, Gallo and Martini are well-known to many wine lovers. The Salvestrin name is one that probably isn’t, but should be.”
JAMES MOLESWORTH, WINE SPECTATOR
Sunny acres as a virtue
Ed learned to farm at his father’s side. By the 1960s, he’d taken over managing the estate, tending the same vines his parents had nurtured, while balancing a career at the St. Helena Post Office. Over three decades, Ed came to know every corner of the vineyard and every address in town.
While Ed tended the vines, his wife Susanne preserved their stories. A skilled chef and natural born historian, she devoted herself to documenting the vineyard’s history and celebrating the heritage of St. Helena. As a founding board member and president of the St. Helena Historical Society, she worked tirelessly to ensure that the past remained vivid for future generations. All the while, the two raised three children—Mark, Richard, and Lynn.
By the time Ed retired from the post office in 1992, he and Susanne were already deeply involved in restoring the historic Crane family home, where the Salvestrins had lived since 1932. Inspired by a journal entry from Dr. Crane, who affectionately referred to his “sunny acres,” they opened the home as Sunny Acres Bed & Breakfast, inviting guests from around the world to experience the estate’s rich history, lovingly preserved through Susanne’s meticulous care, storytelling, and cooking.
John and Ed Salvestrin celebrating a successful harvest with their trusty 1948 Ford flatbed, 1962
Ed Salvestrin, 1959—Burning vine prunings with his nephew, perched atop a 1949 Oliver Cletrac tractor
Ed and Susanne's wedding day, 1961
Ed & friends celebrating the birth of Rich. With bottles of 1964 Christian Brothers Brut Champagne and cigars of course!
A classic Salvestrin party at the ranch, 1961
Before there was a crush pad, there was a bocce ball court
Ed and Mark Salvestrin taking a ride on the International T-5 tractor, 1965
John Salvestrin takes a nap on his favorite bench after a long day's work, 1967
Richard Salvestrin among the vines, circa 1966
Mark, Richard, and Lynn Salvestrin, circa 1968, standing with a bin of freshly harvested grapes —a snapshot of early harvest days.
John and his grandson, Richard Salvestrin, harvest circa 1968
Richard Salvestrin stomps grapes in the basement circa 1969
Grapes transported by Ed's 1946 Willys-Overland CJ-2A Jeep, harvest 1968
John and Emma Salvestrin on their 50th wedding anniversary, 1970
Ed, Mark, Richard, and Lynn Salvestrin in the vineyard on Ed’s 1946 Willys-Overland CJ-2A Jeep, a photo that later became the first Salvestrin wine label, bottled only for family. Circa 1972
Emma Salvestrin and her grandchildren, Mark, Richard and Lynn, circa 1972
Emma Salvestrin, 1972, proudly displaying the fruits of the harvest.
Hauling grapes to the Napa Valley Co-Op, circa 1972
Dumping grapes at the Napa Valley Co-Op, circa 1972
Dumping Zinfandel at the Napa Valley Co-Op, 1972
The Salvestrin's old Crane Ranch, 1972
Lynn and Rich Salvestrin watching eagerly as Ed makes wine in the basement, circa 1973—So it goes, it takes a lot of beer to make good wine. Spot the Miller High Life case in the background.
Snow in St. Helena, 1974. A rare winter moment at the ranch.
Dr. Crane's original barn, as it stood in 1975
John Salvestrin in the vineyard, harvest 1975
Susanne, Mark and Lynn sort while Richard feeds walnuts into the huller, 1980
Richard Salvestrin raises pheasants on the ranch, circa 1980's
Rich Salvestrin, circa 1980, selling persimmons, pomegranates, and walnuts from the old Crane Ranch on the roadside.
The Salvestrin's old Crane ranch, prior to the house's restoration, 1988
Restoration Begins, 1990—The original Crane home was raised four feet to lay a new foundation.
Restoration Begins, 1990—The original Crane home was raised four feet to lay a new foundation.
Restoration Complete, circa 1992. Sunny Acres Bed & Breakfast and the Salvestrin family home fully renovated.
Ed & Susanne Salvestrin celebrating the completion of the renovation, just before opening Sunny Acres Bed & Breakfast, 1992
1994—A new entryway marks the next chapter for the ranch.
Shannon Salvestrin, circa 1994, helping hang the new entryway sign. A finishing touch on the ranch’s update.
‘94 till forever
Mark and Lynn followed in their parents’ footsteps—Mark serving the community at the post office, and Lynn working alongside Susanne to run the bed & breakfast. But Rich? His pockets were full of dirt, and he intended to keep it that way.
His early passion for farming led him to study viticulture at Fresno State, setting the stage for a career that crisscrossed Napa Valley. From Louis Martini to Jaeger Vineyards, Rich’s journey through the industry culminated in a nine-year tenure as Vice President and COO of California Grapevine Nursery. Yet, for all his experience, it wasn’t until he met Shannon that he began to imagine a future in winemaking for himself.
1994 was a good year for Napa Valley wine—and a monumental one for Shannon and Rich. The vintage itself was uneventful: a cool spring, a brief June heatwave, and a mild summer. Their personal lives, however, were anything but.
That year, they didn’t just plan a wedding and say “I do,” they also bought a run-down six-acre lot behind the family estate, inheriting a starter-home so dilapidated that possums had taken up residence in its walls. As if that weren’t enough, Rich pitched Shannon his wildest idea yet: let’s make cab. Shannon, with her signature practicality, called it what it was: “That’s a terrible idea,” she said. Then, with a shrug and a smirk, “I love you. Let’s do it.”
A wine of one’s own
It was classic Rich and Shannon—a partnership grounded in bold ideas and cautious execution. Rich, the farmer at heart, had spent years dreaming of putting the Salvestrin name on a bottle. Shannon, who had unknowingly been preparing for this moment at the Hess Collection as a liaison to the national sales team, brought the can-do spirit and sharp organizational mind to turn the dream into a reality.
Their inaugural vintage—a scrappy production of 157 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon—was made at Rombauer’s facilities using fruit they peeled off from what they were already selling to Rombauer. It was a small start, but it was theirs.
By 1998, production had grown to 1,000 cases, and it became clear they couldn’t keep borrowing space. They took yet another leap of faith, breaking ground on a winery of their own, right there on the Salvestrin family estate.
Rich tilling the vineyard, 1981
Rich and Ed driving stakes in the new vineyard planting, 1988
Rich manning the water gun planter for the crew, 1988
Shannon and Rich get married, July 16th 1994. Pictured on the upper deck of the family home.
Ed, Susanne, Rich, and Shannon Salvestrin, circa 1995. Inside the first Salvestrin Winery tasting room, housed in the old tank house
Shannon and Rich racking Sangiovese in the old tank house, 1998
The first vintage of Salvestrin wine, 1994 Cabernet Sauvingon, bottled at Rombauer in 1996
In 1999, a towering oak tree split and fell, leaving an open space on the ranch. One year later, Rich and Shannon broke ground on the winery—right where the tree once stood. As if it were meant to be.
Setting the trusses of the main cellar of Salvestrin Winery, May of 2001
Rich and Susanne on the brand-new crush pad, circa 2001
Rich dropping Cabernet bins to crush in the unfinished winery, September 2001
Rich and crew harvesting block 2 among the unfinished winery construction, September 2001
Shannon and Rich inspecting the cat-walk installation, 2001
Questioning if we need a bigger door, 2001
Tanks installed, just in time for harvest 2001
Shannon and Rich dumping the first load of grapes. The first crush on the winery crush pad, harvest 2001
Salvestrin Winery curb appeal, 2001
Salvestrin Winery completed, November 2001
Farmer’s daughters, part and parcel
By 2003, Shannon and Rich weren’t just running a winery—they were raising three daughters, Hannah, Emma, and Tessa, while managing the chaos and beauty of a multigenerational family vineyard. A visit to Salvestrin in those days truly was a blur of playing children as the fourth generation buzzed to life among the vines. In 2005, the Wall Street Journal captured the essence of those early years:
“The small sign along crowded Route 29 in Napa Valley said ‘Salvestrin Vineyard and Winery. Open Today.’ So we drove in, past an oasis of fruit trees and a blur of playing children, and found ourselves the only people in the tasting room. After we sampled a lovely red wine, the young woman behind the counter said, ‘This would be even better with food — in fact, you want to see?’ With that, she bounded out of the tasting room and led us outside, where we each picked a perfectly ripe, warm-from-the-sun cherry tomato, popped them into our mouths and then again sipped the wine, which was indeed even more delicious. Well, of course it was.”
The“young woman behind the counter?” That was Shannon. Her can-do spirit wasn’t just reserved for running the business or managing three kids and a marriage; it spilled over into moments like this—boundless and uncontrived, driven by a love of sharing the vineyard’s magic with everyone who walked through the door.
Now, nearly three decades later, that magic is still alive. Hannah and Emma work alongside their parents, carrying the torch of a legacy built on true grit and a lot of love. A visit to Salvestrin today feels much the same as it did then: a warm welcome, a connection to the earth, and stories told over a glass of wine—perhaps even paired with something picked fresh from the vines.
Shannon Salvestrin punching down Cab with a captivated audience—daughters and nieces watching tradition in action, 2000
Shannon, Hannah and Emma Salvestrin landscaping around the old tank house, circa 2002
Rich in the cellar, 2002
Shannon and Rich expecting their third daughter, Tessa, in front of the winery, circa 2003
Hannah and Rich driving the forklift, 2003
Hannah helping on the bottling line, harvest 2003
Emma and Hannah helping Shannon on the bottling line, 2004
Shannon and Lynn Salvestrin on the bottling line, 2004
Rich and Ed at the winery harvest party circa 2004
Emma on QC, harvest 2005
A farmer and his daughters, harvest 2005
Hannah on QC, helping sort fruit at the hopper, harvest 2005
Lynn sorting fruit at the hopper, harvest 2005
Tessa "driving" the John Deere with her cousin Jacob, 2005
Hannah helping Rich with pumpovers, harvest 2007
Rich and Susanne presenting the food pairings at the first harvest luncheon on the winery patio, circa 2007
Meet the Family
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Ed Salvestrin
Quality Control Manager, 2nd Generation
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Rich Salvestrin
Proprietor, Winemaker, Director of Vineyard Management, 3rd Generation
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Shannon Salvestrin
Proprietor, Director of Administration
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Lynn Salvestrin-Hosburgh
Wine Club Manager, 3rd Generation
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Hannah Salvestrin
Director of Hospitality, 4th Generation
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Emma Salvestrin
Director of Marketing, 4th Generation