Ed Sbragia had been making wine at Beringer Vineyards for about 25 years when he made a big career move. At a time when some people might consider retirement, Sbragia took on even more winemaking responsibility — he formed Sbragia Family Vineyards to make and sell wine from his family’s property in the Dry Creek area of Sonoma County.

He’s still at Beringer, too — now in his 30th year there he’s making the reserve wines and he’s working with winemaker Laurie Hook on the rest of the Beringer production.

He’s not working on Sbragia Family Vineyards entirely on his own, either — his son, Adam, has joined him and together they produced 4,500 cases last year and expect to have 5,600 from the 2006 vintage.

Adam, 27, had been acting in Hollywood after graduating from UCLA, but when he decided the movie business wasn’t a career for him, he said he wanted to come home and go to work, and Ed asked him to join in the family business.

Father teaching son

To gain experience and learn the business, Adam started at St. Clement, then went to Chateau Souverain. “He’s well trained in the cellar,” Ed said, and now dad is teaching son the techniques of winemaking.

The family had been growing grapes since the 1960s and sold them to other vintners. After the decision to create their own brand was made, the first vintage under the Sbragia name was produced in 2001, and sold in 2004.

In addition to receiving the blessings of the powers-that-be at Beringer for his new venture — “Walt Klenz (then president of Beringer) actually was pushing me and was very supportive” — Beringer allows him to make the Sbragia brand wine at its facility and even handles sales and marketing for him. Indeed, a search of the Beringer Web site indicated Sbragia Family Vineyards wine are sold through Beringer’s wine clubs.

Receives accolades

Although the wines have been on the market for only a short time, they already have collected accolades. In the 2006 listing of the Top 100 Wines of the World in Wine Spectator, Sbragia Family Vineyards’ 2004 Dry Creek Valley Home Ranch chardonnay was named to the number 72 spot.

Being on that list is not new to Sbragia — in fact, his 1986 Beringer Private Reserve cabernet sauvignon was No. 1 in the world on the 1990 list, and his 1994 Beringer Private Reserve chardonnay was the top wine in 1996, making Beringer one of only two wineries to have two wines ranked No. 1. And, going back to the inception of the Top 100 list in 1988, Sbragia has seen his wines on it 15 years, and one year three of his wines were listed, and two were on it four other times.

 But it’s different when it’s his own family name on the label. “I’m very pleased,” he said. “For a new winery getting an accolade like that verifies what we did.”

As for scores, his wines “are doing pretty good — we’re in the high 80s and low 90s, and our first merlot was a Best Buy.”

He sources the grapes from several vineyards, including his home ranch in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek and Gino’s Vineyard, also in Dry Creek Valley (named for his father), and is producing cabernet sauvignon, merlot, zinfandel and chardonnay.

Because of his long friendships with vineyard owners, he has been able to purchase high quality grapes, as well.

Now is winery owner

But he won’t have to rely on Beringer’s facilities to make his wine in the future, though — he recently bought the former Lake Sonoma Winery facility in Dry Creek Valley from F. Korbel & Brothers. Right now there’s a banner across the building identifying it, but as soon as the deal closes, a permanent sign will be erected.

Sbragia has a lot on his plate. In addition to overseeing Beringer’s winemaking operations and Sbragia Family Vineyards, he also travels to Italy three times per year to consult on a wine called Alleanta, a Super Tuscan. And now he’s on the road a half dozen times a year to sell Sbragia wines, as well.

He also has collaborated with Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana to produce a cabernet-based blend called Montagia, a combination both names.

Family background in wine

Sbragia comes by his wine heritage naturally. His grandfather, Julio, came to the United States from Tuscany in Italy at the turn of the 20th century and went to work at Italian Swiss Colony winery in Asti in Sonoma County. His father, Gino, who was born in the United States, went back to Italy for a while, worked in a rock quarry, but returned in 1927 to go to work at Italian Swiss Colony also.

Sbragia said his dad won $500 in an Irish Sweepstakes and used the winnings to buy some property in the Healdsburg area. He first planted 40 acres of prunes, but in the 1960s the family planted zinfandel, and later planted merlot, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. This is the vineyard that was later named Gino’s Vineyard.

Sbragia enrolled at UC Davis, where he majored in chemistry, and graduated in 1970. He made some fast friends at Davis, many of whom are major players in the wine industry today. Even today he plays accordion in a band with other classmates, including Mike Martini.

He was hired as a research chemist at E & J Gallo in Modesto, and during the three years he was there became friendly with the winemakers, learning the art from them.

At Fresno State

He decided he wanted to make wine, so he and his wife, Jane, whom he married in 1972, both enrolled at Fresno State where he obtained a master’s degree in agricultural sciences, with a specialization in enology.

He took a job at Foppiano Vineyards in Sonoma County for a year, and said he continued to learn winemaking “from a guy who was there for 35 years.” The legendary Myron Nightingale was the winemaker at Beringer Vineyards at the time, and in 1976 Sbragia joined him as his assistant. In 1984 Sbragia was named winemaker.

He’s been a regular on a panel at the annual Yosemite Vintners Holidays program, but lost out to seniority for a while. “I went before it was official. But Myron (Nightingale) took it over and wouldn’t give it back,” he laughingly said. For the past half-dozen or so years he’s joined with three other vintners in what has become one of the event’s most popular sessions — Rob McNeill of Mumm Napa Valley, Tom Rinaldi of Provenance and George Bursick, of J Vineyards.

Watched his dad

Sbragia’s style has been influenced by watching his father make wine at home — “a very simple way” — and by working with Nightingale for many years. He also brought back some techniques learned from older winemakers and combined them with new practices.

Asked for his own philosophy, he said, “You have to make yourself happy. Do what’s right for you. If you can consistently make yourself happy (with your wine), you should follow that target. That’s why your wines will be different from others.”

Although over the years he has been approached by others wanting to hire him, Sbragia has chosen to remain at Beringer. “I plan to stay as long as they’ll have me,” he said.