Hugh Davies

Schramsberg Vineyard
Calistoga, Calif.
Revenue $15 million
Employees 50

“I was born thinking wine was important,” laughs Hugh Davies, president and winemaker of Schramsberg Vineyards, the operation started by his parents in 1965. “I left the hospital, came to the vineyard—and 42 years later, I’m still here.” Schramsberg was the first California vineyard to produce sparkling wines, which are aged in caves originally used to make wine in the late 1800s. Davies is already cultivating love for the family business in his young sons.

“During harvest my two little boys will eat the grapes and walk around on top of the fermentation tanks, and be able to see the birth that’s under way,” he says. His 16-year-old nephew, the oldest of the next generation, has already taken a shine to the winery, having worked there the past two summers. Fondness for the wine doesn’t just run in the family: Since 1972, every Presidential Administration has served Schramsberg’s during official functions.