Geyser peak was established in 1880 by pioneering winemaker Augustus Quitzow. Geyser Peak Winery changed focus and product mix several times in their first century. In 1887, the winery passed into the hands of Edward Walton and Company, and became a successful producer of domestic brandy. Walton lost the winery in 1908 to Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank, and over the next 74 years Geyser Peak went through a succession of owners, becoming one of the largest and best equipped wineries in California by the early `30s. The winery was purchased in 1972 by Schlitz Brewery. Finally in 1982, when stroh's Brewing Company, having acquired Schlitz, sold the winery to Henry, Victor and Mark Trione of Santa Rosa. Since then Executive Winemaker Daryl Groom and his team have taken the winery to critical and popular acclaim. The Trione vineyards now include 768 acres in Sonoma County and smaller acreage elsewhere.

Leader of the team that has made geyser Peak a world class winery, Executive Vice President Winemaker Daryl Groom is a native Australian who received his oenology degree from Roseworthy College. He began his career with the Barossa Valley wineries Saltram, Krondorf and Peter Lehmann before becoming Kaiser Stuhl's white winemaker in 1980. After the take over of Kaiser Stuhl by Penfolds, he was promoted to red winemaker, and became Penfold's senior red winemaker in 1988, responsible for the Grange Hermitage, Australia's premier red wine, and other red wines. Since joining Geyser Peak in 1989, Groom has established the winery pre-eminence in the wine world, wedding Australian techniques with California's unique wine making style to produce a range of award winning wines, from the highly affordable Semchards to internationally acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, and the newly introduced Shiraz. Wine critics have recognized him as a major factor in Geyser Peak's success, crediting him with "doing amazing things" (Dan Berger), "daring to be different" (John Kessler) and "making some of the most delightful wines in the world" (John Clift).

Another Roseworthy graduate, Michael Leslie "Mick" Schroeter, joined Groom at Geyser Peak in 1993, having served under Groom at Penfolds as assistant red winemaker. A second-generation winemaker, Schroeter brings special expertise in making Shiraz and Semillon, two widely planted Australian varieties Geyser Peak is bringing to prominence in the United States. Mike Draxton, Geyser Peak's assistant winemaker since 1990, is also winemaker for Canyon Road Cellars, the second winery under Geyser Peak's umbrella. With a B.S. in fermentation science/ oenology from U.C. Davis, Draxton has served as lab co-ordinator and cellar assistant at Schramsberg Vineyards. While continuing to assist Daryl Groom in the making of Geyser Peak wines, Draxton has begun making Canyon Road a leader in its own field of affordable, highly approachable wines.

Jewel among the Trione family vineyards is the 600 acre Alexander Valley tract. Divided almost perfectly by the Russian River, the Alexander Valley runs north and south in a patchwork of rich alluvial soils, providing optimum growing conditions. Summer fog flowing in from the Santa Rosa Plain prevents high morning temperatures and allows the higher afternoon temperatures to ripen the grapes while maintaining an optimum sugar/ acid balance. Thanks to the area's micro climates, several varieties find their special niches. Typically, Alexander Valley yields are good, giving five to six tons to the acre. Here Geyser Peak harvests Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Shiraz, Sangiovese and Malbec from late August to November 1.

Key to Geyser Peak's emergence as a world class winery is its  aggressive barrel program. Demanding the highest quality French and American oak, Geyser Peak's wine makers have immersed themselves in the entire barrel making process, travelling to French and American oak growing regions to learn how superior oak is grown, harvested, cured and made into barrels. In 1993 and 1994 alone, Geyser Peak spent $1.8 million on new barrels, which it will use for just five years, while the barrels impart optimum oak characters to the wines. Geyser Peak insists on barrels that have been toasted slowly over oak cuttings in the french tradition, and only the most flawless and redolent barrels make it through the wine making team's inspection process. Then trial barrels are tested for a year to assess their quality and performance, since some take longer to give complexity and palate depth. Geyser Peak uses several suppliers to ensure a variety of quality barrels, because, says Executive Winemaker Daryl Groom, "each oak has a characteristic that suits a certain wine. For complexity, you need many different characters". Geyser Park uses only American oak, which gives sweeter, more lifted, upfront characters, for barrel fermenting its Reserve Cabernet, and only French oak for the Reserve Alexandre Meritage, made in the French style. Other Geyser Peak wines call for varying combinations of French and American oak. Geyser Peak's maturation policy for each wine determines how long a wine will age in new oak, which gives strong characters, and older oak, which conveys more subtle characters. Wines not suited for oak, such as Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Johannisberg Riesling, are aged in stainless steel tanks to retain their fresh fruit characters.

Inspired by the rich wine making heritage of old Italy, Venezia wines are classic wines produced in the New World. Limited in production and made from only the finest hand-picked grapes from steep hillside vineyards, these wines represent their commitment to making wines that are both enjoyable and true to their origins.

Exceptional fruit is a key element in the creation of great wines, and Venezia's wine growers play a major role. Their vineyards were specially selected for ideal growing conditions and consistent high quality fruit. Their grapes were hand harvested and individually fermented to preserve the unique characteristics and permit maximum blending versatility. To further enhance both quality and character, Venezia wines were barrel aged in French and American oak, Then bottled in individually numbered, tall Italian glass.