The 101-year-old LA-Based Winery Showcases the Power of Four Generations of Family Winemaking Continued Craftsmanship & Premier Hospitality
California’s Riboli family, of the historic San Antonio Winery in downtown Los Angeles, is proud to announce the award of Wine Enthusiast’s “American Winery of the Year”. The 101-year-old San Antonio Winery has been a beloved fixture in the Los Angeles community bringing the taste of California and Italy’s finest wines to the greater area and across the country. Known for revolutionizing the wine industry by creating a broad range of wines including the ultra-successful Stella Rosa collection, and San Simeon and Maddalena wines, among others, Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery is a prime example of a thriving family business. Their ability to adapt and continue to innovate with the times and appeal to an ever-changing demographics of national wine drinkers has made them one of the most successful wineries in the United States.
“We are beyond thrilled to be named Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year,” said Anthony Riboli, Fourth-Generation Winemaker of Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery. “Our passion for winemaking and providing people with the best hospitality and service has been our mission for over 100 years and we hope to continue to create memories with the L.A. community and beyond for years to come.”
A testament to the Riboli family’s success is its ability to innovate. Aside from its estate vineyards covering more than 1,000 acres across California’s Central Coast, the family has also built a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient winery in Paso Robles, with an adjacent events center scheduled to open January 2019. “It’s an evolution story,” says Anthony Riboli, a fourth-generation vintner and great-grandnephew of Santo Cambianica. “It’s what my grandparents [Stefano and Maddalena Riboli] taught us: reinventing what you’re doing and never sitting back and saying, ‘It’s good enough.’”
Tradition, expertise and family values have been the core foundation upon which the Riboli family has built its legacy. Their wines are not only held at the highest regard, but with each sip comes a story of perseverance, dedication, and rich history. San Antonio Winery is the last remaining winery in downtown L.A. – a hidden gem and a historical landmark operating in the same community it was founded more than 100 years ago by a young hopeful Italian immigrant named Santo Cambianica.
During the Prohibition era, the L.A. wine industry was forever changed when more than 100 wineries were forced to shut their doors. San Antonio Winery, however, stood the test of time and flourished as the number one producer of altar wines. In 1936 a young Stefano Riboli emigrated to the U.S. from northern Italy and began apprenticing under his uncle Santo, soon proving himself to be invaluable to the winery. Another Italian immigrant by the name of Maddalena Satragni caught his eye one day while she was out riding a tractor east of Los Angeles farming the fields. They married shortly after in 1946. When Santo passed, his wish of the couple inheriting the winery came true, allowing San Antonio Winery to stay within the family and grow beyond its roots as L.A.’s original urban winery. “In the 1980s, being a winery in Los Angeles was not cool,” says Steve Riboli, Anthony’s uncle and a third-generation vintner. “But today, we talk about the word ‘urban,’ and every millennial thinks that’s where it’s at.”
Four generations later, both Stefano and Maddalena, respectively 97 and 95 years old, still play a vital role in the winery’s success. They continue devoting their time to mentor the younger generations of the Riboli family, including their three children Santo, Cathy, and Steve, who together grew up working in the winery and continue to implement the family values and work ethic they learned as children, each with daily responsibilities in administration, sales and hospitality. They have proudly passed on that same tradition to the fourth generation in Anthony, Lisa, Dante, and Christopher, who proudly represent the company in winemaking, sales and marketing. The three generations continue to work together to ensure they’re producing the highest quality wines and providing the utmost in hospitality.
Today, the family’s historic L.A. location, Ontario (east of Los Angeles), and Paso Robles locations continue to attract locals and visitors alike. The Riboli family is humbled and honored to accept Wine Enthusiasts “American Winery of the Year“ award and looks forward to the continued success of San Antonio Winery for all their loyal customers and future generations.
Each year, Wine Enthusiast honors individuals and companies that have made outstanding achievements in the wine and alcohol beverage industries. Conclusions are drawn in July at their Annual Media Conference where they carry out an in-house selection process for both nominees and winners. According to Wine Enthusiast, decisions are made based on the compilation of many factors such as brand vision, consumer impact and trend setting. The winners, along with other special awards will be announced in Wine Enthusiast’s special “Best of Year December 31st” issue. On January 28th, 2019, honorees will receive their trophies at a black-tie dinner gala held at Miami’s Nobu Eden Roc.
For more information visit www.sanantoniowinery.com or contact Ciarra Lee at ciarra@klgpr.com or call (646) 678-3700.
