A wine aficionado’s guide to the history of Boeger Winery
Knowing the history and culture behind the making of a bottle of wine can often make that glass of wine even more flavorful. If you plan to serve wine at a gathering, share this amazing story as you serve your guests a glass of Barbera wine from Boeger Winery.
By the early 1970s, nearly all vestiges of a flourishing California wine industry had been destroyed over time, first by the California Gold Rush that dwindled the population, then by the long years of depression-era Prohibition that destroyed the vineyards, and then finally by isolation in what had become a remote and sparsely populated region. The Boeger Winery story begins in 1972 when Greg Boeger purchased an 80-acre estate in Placeville, El Dorado County, California, one of four diminished wine-producing counties in the Sierra Foothills.
The grandson of Napa Valley winemaker Anton Nicholini, Greg Boeger was the first to envision a revival of the region’s rich viticultural past and has done so with success, as Boeger Winery has grown to produce 20,000 cases of premium wine a year. After 30 years of viticulture, winemaking, business management, sales, marketing and service with the county agricultural commission, Greg Boeger now has a winery partner in his son, Justin.
After completing a degree in oenology at the University of California at Davis and an internship at wineries in the Franconia region of Germany, Justin Boeger joined the winery as a winemaker so his father could focus on his most pressing interest, viticulture.
Justin always knew he would be a winemaker. He went to school to learn the science of winemaking, now he enjoys the art of winemaking. Justin believes that a scientific wine is clean, but lacks character, and that making wine with a lot of character is where the art of winemaking comes in.
Before returning to Boeger Winery, Justin did an internship at wineries in the Franconia region in the northern part of Bavaria in Germany. On a wine estate in the 15th-century dungeon of a bishop’s palace, Justin worked from 6:30 a.m. until after sundown. He once did not see the sun for three weeks straight while working in this windowless warehouse.
Since returning to Boeger Winery, Justin has made a few changes based on what he has learned through his education and internship in Germany, including using oak barrels in a different way. Instead of buying barrels from one supplier, he has branched out and uses several barrels from different cooperages, different forests, and has tailored each barrel to the particular grape variety and vintage. This is because each different oak barrel has its own diversity, uniqueness and variety.
Justin attributes the success of Boegery Winery to the quality of its grapes, crediting his father for the magnificent fruit he brings to the winemaking process. Boegery Winery prides itself on the fact that it grows 95% of its own fruit. This allows them to have direct control over it so they can produce the high quality wines for which they are known.
Both Greg and Justin Boeger love making wine and appreciate their loyal customer base. They wouldn’t rather be doing something else with their lives than making wine.