Steve Schafer, along with wife Cindy Schafer, founded San Joaquin Wine Company in 2005 as the fulfillment of a personal passion. Growing up in a family farm business and having the experience of growing 12 varietals of wine grapes along with almonds for over 40 years, Steve wanted to see his grapes go full circle! This sparked the idea to start a winery right here in their backyard in the heart of Madera County!
Over the course of four years, Steve purchased the winery equipment necessary to take his grapes to bottle. Wine production started in 2009 with 4 varietals in the “Moody Press Cellars” label and has grown to 18 different varietals and 9 labels. SJWC now sells over 25,000 cases, which are primarily inter-state wholesale sales, and exports to Japan, China, Canada, Denmark, and Vietnam. Retail sales contribute to the business through our on-site Tasting Room, local restaurants and stores.
In 2010, business partners Joey and Diane Sagariballa were brought in to solidify the winery team. Since then, they’ve built a Tasting Room and Event Venue that was completed in December of 2014 and has been a beautiful facility to many weddings, business functions, fundraisers and other special occasions.
Steve is heavily involved in the California Association of Wine Grape Growers (CAWG), an organization that advocates for California wine grape issues. During Steve’s tenure as Chairman for CAWG, he promoted that growers would never receive the full value of grapes they produced until they became a vintner themselves which was a personal achieved goal of his. Steve is also an advocate of sustainable winegrowing practices, introduced by CAWG and Wine Institute in 2001. Sustainable farming is a commitment to better stewardship of the vineyards, as well as to the community at large. In 2018, Steve humbly received the “CAWG Grape Grower of The Year Award”. This award motivates Steve to further his business in the wine industry and allows him to continue his passion for grape growing in Madera.
San Joaquin Wine Co.’s mission statement is: “To produce the highest quality wines possible at affordable prices from select local grape varieties.”
All of us at San Joaquin Winery are committed to quality and value in every bottle. We look forward to future vintages and increasing our selections for everyone to taste and enjoy. We thank all of our friends and family for the support so that we get to continue doing what we love here at San Joaquin Winery and we can’t wait to make new friends with you all! Stop by to meet the team, taste the wine and say hello!
