Our Story

Following a number of years spent working in the software industry, Dave Miner got his start in wine in 1993 as President of Oakville Ranch Vineyards, owned by his late uncle, Robert Miner. Having spent years as an enthusiastic wine consumer and collector, Dave had a natural affinity for the business.

Emily Miner, a Minnesota transplant and graduate of Santa Clara University, packs up and heads to California. She joins Oakville Ranch as the Tasting Room Manager. It was there Dave and Emily met and fell in love.

The Miner Family Winery brand is born. Dave, working as President of Oakville Ranch, decides to become a custom crush client and start his own wine label.

Gary Brookman joins as winemaker for Oakville Ranch and to establish Dave’s own label, Miner Family. A former Joseph Phelps alum, Gary is the perfect candidate to handle the wine portfolio, as well as expand their custom crush client business.

• A 15-month process from start to finish, in 1999 the caves at Miner were complete. With a combination of digging machines and dynamite, the over 20k+ square feet of caves were carved into the hillside with walls six inches thick and sprayed with gunnite. These underground hallways are naturally cooled with the high humidity and low temperatures, creating perfect conditions for wine aging.
• A year of celebrations; Dave and Emily Miner marry, purchase the winery building from his family and the first Miner Family wines are released.

• 2001 The Oracle was released, Miner’s inaugural vintage of our flagship, Bordeaux-style blend.
• Miner Family Winery named “Top Five” All-American wines of 2004, Bon Appetite Magazine

In 2005 the first Benedetto Jazz Concert & Wine Release Party was held at the winery. Featuring some of the finest jazz musicians around the world, Miner holds a concert every year to celebrate the release of our limited production Benedetto Series Cabernet, starting with the 2002 vintage.

Miner Family Winery honored as a Top 100 “Winery of the Year” by Wine & Spirits Magazine

“This winery’s flagship wine is The Oracle, made with fruit contracted from Stagecoach Vineyards, in the hills just above Oakville Ranch. The 2002 was the winery’s top-scoring red this year. It has sleek, generous texture and just enough granitic minerality to distinguish it from valley-floor Oakville wines. It tastes like it was grown in the hills.”

In May 2007 Miner Family Winery’s 2004 Wild Yeast Chardonnay was featured at a White House dinner. Since then, Miner wines have been honored to be on the menu at five additional official dinners.

Miner’s vision to preserve the land and become powered by solar energy was realized in 2008, when Dave flipped the switch inaugurating Miner’s photovoltaic system. The Miner array is one of the largest projects to date installed in the Napa Valley that balances environmental respect and the aesthetics of the natural landscape. Miner runs exclusively on solar power.

After years of offering varietally correct Riedel glassware in our tasting room, Miner and Riedel announce their partnership. Since 2012, Riedel Wine Glass Company exclusively uses Miner Family wines at its proprietary comparative glassware tasting events and at select events officially endorsed by the Riedel name in the United States.

After 17 years at Miner Family Winery, Winemaker, Gary Brookman is named General Manager & Director of Winemaking. Associate Winemaker, Stacy Vogel announced as Miner’s new winemaker, making her the only other winemaker in Miner history!

Miner celebrates 20 years of winemaking!

From the first bottlings of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in 1996, 2015 marks the 20th vintage of Miner wines. 

Miner launches Emily's; an eponymous wine made in remembrance of Emily Miner, co-founder of Miner Family Winery who lost her battle with lung cancer in 2011. As a tribute to Emily and to continue the fight against cancer, a portion of the proceeds of Emily's will go to our long-time partner, The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Miner is thrilled to unveil a remodeled tasting room! Both the second and third floor tasting spaces received top-to-bottom upgrades. The new spaces were revealed to guests in December.

In a year of significant changes for the winery and staff, Miner Family wishes Gary Brookman a happy transition to retirement after 25 years as Winemaker.

Following Gary's retirement, we celebrated the promotion of Head Winemaker Michelle Shafrir, who served as Assistant Winemaker for five years prior to her promotion. Congratulations to Michelle!