During the latter years of the 18th century, Queen Katherine the Great invited her countrymen to join her in her new Russian homeland. She asked them to work the land that locals had not been able to make productive.  Many Germans settled in the Volga River region of interior Russia, including the Metzler family.  Finding little success yet remaining hopeful, the family left Russian for California in expectation of finding success in another new country.  Their dreams were realized in the San Joaquin Valley, a fertile region in Fresno County California.  Winemaker Ron Metzler is a member of the fourth generation of the German immigrants to carry on the farming tradition in California

For 30 years, Ron Metzler of Metzler Family Farms has been growing and shipping fresh fruit, as well as growing wine grapes.  After producing wine grapes for other prestigious California wineries, Metzler decided to focus on growing a limited amount of red wine grapes on property that has been in the family for over 100 years and produce his own hand-crafted wines.

The Z label was borrowed from the “Z” in the Metzler name; “Z is a straightforward label and that is easy to remember” says Ron.  “The passion of Metzler Family Farms is to produce superior red wines from grapes grown in Fresno County. The County has long been known for producing outstanding wine grapes but only recently a small number of boutique wineries have come to fruition.”  Metzler believes that the future is bright for vintners in his region and invites you to enjoy his wines.