Today, we tell the story of Isabelle Simi, the first woman winemaker in the United States.
Her winery thrived despite earthquakes, economic crises, and even the years of Prohibition. With ingenuity, perseverance, and an extraordinary strength of spirit, Isabelle Simi left a lasting mark on America’s wine culture.
How it all began
Isabelle Simi was born in 1886 in the small town of Healdsburg, California. Her father and uncle settled there after emigrating from Tuscany. Winemaking was part of their Italian heritage, and California’s climate proved ideal for growing grapes. In 1876, the two brothers founded Simi Winery.
After nearly three decades of hard work, the cellar had become one of the most successful wineries in the state. In 1904, however, both brothers died of influenza, leaving 18-year-old Isabelle at the head of the business. As we have seen in other wine stories, such as that of Madame Clicquot, it is often unexpected hardship that places young women in a position to take control of their own destiny. Isabelle Simi was no exception.
Opportunity amid disaster
One of the first decisions the young Isabelle made was to reinforce the cellars with steel supports to reduce the risk of earthquake damage. The choice proved fateful. In 1906, a powerful earthquake struck California, destroying countless businesses. Damage to Simi Winery, however, was minimal.
Thanks to Isabelle’s foresight, the winery went on to achieve significant profits while many competitors failed to recover.
Selling wine legally in a time of Prohibition
In 1920, the U.S. government introduced Prohibition, banning the production, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages. For winemakers, it was a true catastrophe. Cellars were shut down, harvests destroyed, and wine stocks confiscated by the authorities.
Isabelle, however, refused to give up. Instead of accepting defeat, she began carefully searching for a loophole in the law and she found one. American regulations allowed limited alcohol production for religious purposes. Isabelle seized this opportunity and began producing sacramental wine intended for liturgical use.
Soon, her wines were being ordered by churches across the country, from California to New York. In this way, Simi Winery not only survived the years of Prohibition but also preserved its infrastructure, vineyards, and name.
When Prohibition finally ended in December 1933, Simi Winery held half a million gallons of wine, ready for a public thirsty after years of enforced abstinence.
The Great Depression
Even before the end of Prohibition, the country was already in the grip of the Great Depression, one of the most severe economic crises in modern history. Between 1929 and 1932, U.S. industrial production fell by nearly half, while unemployment increased sixfold. Millions of people struggled to meet their basic needs, and sales of all non-essential goods collapsed.
But Isabelle Simi did not give up. She decided she would not allow the crisis to force her out of business and opened a wine tasting room, an unconventional move at the time. This allowed visitors not only to taste the wines but also to purchase smaller quantities at lower prices.
With this strategy, Isabelle bypassed intermediaries and offered people exactly what they needed: affordable wine in difficult times. The idea proved remarkably successful and laid the foundation for the wine-tasting model that is now a standard feature of nearly every modern winery.
“Love wine not war!”
Isabelle’s tasting room faced new upheavals with the outbreak of World War II and the economic crises that followed, yet it continued to thrive. Simi Winery also survived and grew, preserving its reputation as one of the most respected names in California.
In 1973, the winery hired the first formally trained female enologist in the United States, Mary Ann Graf.
Isabelle gradually stepped back from active management but continued to run the tasting room until her death in 1981, at the age of 95. She retained her rebellious spirit throughout her life, and many visitors fondly remembered the elderly woman who welcomed them personally in the tasting room, wearing an apron emblazoned with the words: “Love wine, not war.”
And we also firmly stand behind the words “love wine, not war.” We believe that good wine brings peace — first within ourselves, and then between us. That is why we choose every bottle in our shop not merely as a product, but as a small message of joy, calm, and human connection.
And if Isabelle’s story teaches us anything, it is that even in the most unpredictable times, we can choose courage, kindness, and a glass of wine shared with the people we love. 🍷
Sip. Savour. Celebrate… female ingenuity!
_ Maria Kovacheva & Diana Sofronieva for Two Bottles of Wine
