COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 312130

Wineries

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

64companies1847–2004founding years64still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedMartini & Rossi SpA
1847
FoundedSouthcorp Limited
1888
FoundedCompania Cervecerias Unidas S.A.
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedSuntory Ltd.
1907
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedMadeira Wine Company, S.A.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedKikkoman Corporation
1917
FoundedFreixenet S.A.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedIndustrie Zignago Santa Margherita S.p.A.
1940
FoundedPenaflor S.A.
1941
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedKyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.FoundedSapporo Breweries Limited
1949
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedCantine Giorgio Lungarotti S.R.L.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedRobert Mondavi Corporation
1966
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedScheid Vineyards Inc.FoundedSidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedPernod Ricard S.A.
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedKendall-Jackson Winery, Ltd.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedBeringer Blass Wine Estates Ltd.
1996
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Martini & Rossi SpA →
Active · founded 1847 · Italy
1950s:William Lawson distillery and brand is acquired as part of a portfolio expansion.
Martini & Rossi SpA →
Active · founded 1847 · Italy
1950s:William Lawson distillery and brand is acquired as part of a portfolio expansion.
Southcorp Limited →
Active · founded 1888 · Australia
Based in New South Wales, Australia, Southcorp Limited is the world's largest maker of premium brand wine.
Southcorp Limited →
Active · founded 1888 · Australia
Based in New South Wales, Australia, Southcorp Limited is the world's largest maker of premium brand wine.
Federico Paternina S.A. →
Active · founded 1896 · Spain
1940s:Paternina begins exporting wines to Europe and the Americas.
Federico Paternina S.A. →
Active · founded 1896 · Spain
1940s:Paternina begins exporting wines to Europe and the Americas.
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A. →
Active · founded 1902 · Chile
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A.
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A. →
Active · founded 1902 · Chile
Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A.
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Longtime leader of the Japanese beer market, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited in the early 2000s was overtaken by its…
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Longtime leader of the Japanese beer market, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited in the early 2000s was overtaken by its…
Suntory Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
1950s:The company develops the Torys bar chain, which grows into more than 1,500 bars.
Suntory Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
1950s:The company develops the Torys bar chain, which grows into more than 1,500 bars.
UST Inc. →
Active · founded 1911
UST Inc., the top dog in the only part of the U.S.
UST Inc. →
Active · founded 1911
UST Inc., the top dog in the only part of the U.S.
Madeira Wine Company, S.A. →
Active · founded 1913 · Madeira
Madeira Wine Company, S.A.
Madeira Wine Company, S.A. →
Active · founded 1913 · Madeira
Madeira Wine Company, S.A.
Kikkoman Corporation →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
Kikkoman Corporation is the world's largest and most famous producer of soy sauce.
Kikkoman Corporation →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
Kikkoman Corporation is the world's largest and most famous producer of soy sauce.
Eckes AG →
Active · founded 1922 · Germany
German-based Eckes AG is Europe's top manufacturer of fruit juices and the fourth ranked maker of spirits.
Eckes AG →
Active · founded 1922 · Germany
German-based Eckes AG is Europe's top manufacturer of fruit juices and the fourth ranked maker of spirits.
Freixenet S.A. →
Active · founded 1928 · Spain
Freixenet S.A.
Freixenet S.A. →
Active · founded 1928 · Spain
Freixenet S.A.
Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc.
Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc.
Industrie Zignago Santa Margherita S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1940 · Italy
Mini-conglomerate Industrie Zignago Santa Margherita S.p.A.
Industrie Zignago Santa Margherita S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1940 · Italy
Mini-conglomerate Industrie Zignago Santa Margherita S.p.A.
Empresas Polar SA →
Active · founded 1941 · Venezuela
Empresas Polar SA operates as Venezuela's largest private industrial conglomerate, manufacturing and distributing a…
Empresas Polar SA →
Active · founded 1941 · Venezuela
Empresas Polar SA operates as Venezuela's largest private industrial conglomerate, manufacturing and distributing a…
Penaflor S.A. →
Active · founded 1941 · Argentina
Penaflor S.A., together with its sister company, Bodegas Trapiche S.A.I.C.A., is Latin America's largest wine producer…
Penaflor S.A. →
Active · founded 1941 · Argentina
Penaflor S.A., together with its sister company, Bodegas Trapiche S.A.I.C.A., is Latin America's largest wine producer…
Asahi Breweries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Asahi Breweries, Ltd.
Asahi Breweries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Asahi Breweries, Ltd.
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Sapporo Breweries Limited →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Over the course of its more than 120-year history, Sapporo Breweries Limited has evolved from a government-owned beer…
Sapporo Breweries Limited →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Over the course of its more than 120-year history, Sapporo Breweries Limited has evolved from a government-owned beer…
Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. →
Active · founded 1956 · France
The Rothschild name is not only associated with high finance, it is also synonymous with the world's finest wines, made…
Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. →
Active · founded 1956 · France
The Rothschild name is not only associated with high finance, it is also synonymous with the world's finest wines, made…
Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti S.R.L. →
Active · founded 1962 · Italy
Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti S.R.L.
Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti S.R.L. →
Active · founded 1962 · Italy
Cantine Giorgio Lungarotti S.R.L.
Foster's Group Limited →
Active · founded 1962 · Australia
Foster's Group Limited, whose beer commercials once taught drinkers to speak Australian, has also developed a taste for…
Foster's Group Limited →
Active · founded 1962 · Australia
Foster's Group Limited, whose beer commercials once taught drinkers to speak Australian, has also developed a taste for…
Robert Mondavi Corporation →
Active · founded 1966
Robert Mondavi Corporation, with its family of Robert Mondavi wineries, is one of the United States' premier winemakers…
Robert Mondavi Corporation →
Active · founded 1966
Robert Mondavi Corporation, with its family of Robert Mondavi wineries, is one of the United States' premier winemakers…
Constellation Brands, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Constellation Brands, Inc., is the only alcoholic beverage company in the United States involved in all three…
Constellation Brands, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Constellation Brands, Inc., is the only alcoholic beverage company in the United States involved in all three…
Scheid Vineyards Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Scheid Vineyards Inc.
Scheid Vineyards Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Scheid Vineyards Inc.
Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.
Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.
Delicato Vineyards, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Delicato Vineyards, Inc.
Delicato Vineyards, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Delicato Vineyards, Inc.
Pernod Ricard S.A. →
Active · founded 1974 · France
Pernod Ricard S.A.
Pernod Ricard S.A. →
Active · founded 1974 · France
Pernod Ricard S.A.
Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation (Lasuco) →
Active · founded 1979 · Vietnam
Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation, or Lasuco, is the leading sugar producer in Vietnam, and is also one of the…
Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation (Lasuco) →
Active · founded 1979 · Vietnam
Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Corporation, or Lasuco, is the leading sugar producer in Vietnam, and is also one of the…
Kendall-Jackson Winery, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1982
One of the few remaining family-owned wineries in the nation, Kendall-Jackson Winery, Ltd.
Kendall-Jackson Winery, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1982
One of the few remaining family-owned wineries in the nation, Kendall-Jackson Winery, Ltd.
Click Wine Group →
Active · founded 1987
Click Wine Group markets and distributes a portfolio of wines primarily comprised of Australian brands.
Click Wine Group →
Active · founded 1987
Click Wine Group markets and distributes a portfolio of wines primarily comprised of Australian brands.
Beringer Blass Wine Estates Ltd. →
Active · founded 1996
Owner of the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley, California, Beringer Blass Wine Estates Ltd.
Beringer Blass Wine Estates Ltd. →
Active · founded 1996
Owner of the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley, California, Beringer Blass Wine Estates Ltd.
Terrena L'Union CANA CAVAL →
Active · founded 2004 · France
Terrena L'Union CANA CAVAL is one of France's top three cooperatives and one of the country's leading agro-industrial…
Terrena L'Union CANA CAVAL →
Active · founded 2004 · France
Terrena L'Union CANA CAVAL is one of France's top three cooperatives and one of the country's leading agro-industrial…
Build It Today

Starting a wineries company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.