Inspired by Ancient Vines – Cline Family Cellars

Fred Cline is a winemaker who hails from a family of innovative thinkers. When he and his wife, Nancy, started Cline Family Cellars in 1982, they drew inspiration from Fred’s early experiences in the vineyards with his grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi.

“When I started making wine, it was a continuation of what I had learned from my grandfather about making wine for the family to use,” said Fred. “And I was making it that same way.”

Valeriano had arrived in the U.S. from Italy in 1920, joining his six brothers to work on airplanes, water pumps, and, later, the whirlpool bath that still carries the Jacuzzi family name. During the Great Depression, Valeriano purchased a 161-acre farm in California’s Contra Costa County, where he grew grapes and made wine for his family and friends.

Three generations later, Cline Family Cellars is known widely for its zinfandels, Rhône-style wines, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir, with some vines that date back to the early 1900s. The winery that Fred and Nancy started as a young couple now produces more than 250,000 cases each year, with its wine sold across the U.S. and internationally.

“Once I got into this business, it was quite exciting … and I learned that I was really into agriculture,” said Fred. “Having gone to UC Davis to learn all about agriculture and grape growing, naturally I wanted to continue on this path and focus on making the winery a successful enterprise.”

In 2007, Fred and his family launched Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, a Sonoma winery that pays tribute to Valeriano and his enthusiasm for winemaking. It’s been a “lifelong dream” for Fred that has created more opportunities for the next generation to get involved.

Fred and Nancy have seven children — four of whom are working in the family business and pushing their wine brands in new directions. Dreamed up by sisters Megan and Hilary Cline, Gust is an offshoot wine label that is rooted in the Petaluma Gap, a prized Sonoma County appellation known for exceptional pinot noir, chardonnay, and syrah.

“Fred and I are constantly thinking about the future, and what’s amazing is that with seven children, we have this whole group of people who are helping us map the future,” said Nancy. “It’s this perfect world that combines traditional business practices with this fantastic perspective from our children.”

‘They understand farming’

What started as a dream for Fred and Nancy has grown into multiple successful wine labels, popular tasting rooms and direct-to-consumer channels — all while raising a family.

Ruth Edwards has known the family as friends for decades, and in recent years, as the family’s relationship manager for American AgCredit. When Cline Family Cellars needed financing for a vineyard development project, the family turned to Ruth and her team for financial expertise.

“We started out with a really good level of trust,” said Ruth. “But then we began to set our expectations, find out what they needed, where they saw themselves in the present time and down the road.”

Fred appreciates the benefits of working with a Farm Credit lender versus a commercial bank that does not have expertise in agriculture.

“Working with American AgCredit, they understand farming, they understand farmers, they recognize hard work, and they know seasons,” said Fred. “It’s night and day compared to any other lenders.”

Deep roots in sustainable wine

Even as the family winery has grown steadily over the last four decades, Cline Family Cellars continues to make wine with grapes that are grown sustainably and with an eye for preserving the land for future generations.

Cline Cellars is certified sustainable by the state and Sonoma County, with growing practices that go beyond these standards. The winery grazes sheep and goats in the vineyards to remove weeds, uses winery compost as fertilizer for the vines, and collects corks from the winery to be reused as an alternative to foam and plastics.

With more than 34,000 square feet of solar panels, Cline Family Cellars is also one of California’s largest wineries to be completely powered by renewable energy.

Nancy points to her seven children as the original inspiration to grow wine sustainably and with fewer inputs. As time went on, she said the idea of growing grapes with a minimalist approach continued to make sense for their children, customers, and the finished product.

“Fred and I raised our family on the winery property, and it was just so clear and obvious to us,” said Nancy. “We had all of our kids running around, and if our growing practices could be healthy for the plants as well as our lives and our customers, then everyone wins.”

More than a century after Valeriano Jacuzzi arrived in California, Fred Cline said he is motivated by the same passion for winemaking and desire to create a better future for his children and the generations to come.

“We’re building something for our family, and it’s clean as far as the way we grow [the wine] and make it,” said Fred. “And organically as our family grew, so did our business.”