Andretti Winery

Andretti Winery is a boutique winery in the Oak Knoll District portion of Napa, California.

History
Begun as a "hobby" in 1996, the winery grew steadily. Mario Andretti's interest in the wine business arose from a commemorative bottling of wine he marketed to celebrate his retirement from auto racing in 1994. Two years later Andretti and longtime friend Joe Antonini, former CEO of Kmart (which had sponsored Andretti's racing team) purchased a 53 acre vineyard and winery in the far north part of Napa, California, where they built a Tuscan-themed winery, tasting room, and guesthouse. The property was under development as a winery at the time, with wine under production by the former owners.

In 2001 the company conducted a financial transaction in which it sold the 53 acre to a Napa farming group. The winery then leased back the tasting room and events center. The company has no ownership stake in the nearby vineyards.

The winery is operated by a public company, Andretti Wine Group, that the founders formed in a "reverse public shell merger" in 1995. It raised $3 million via a public offering in 1998, however it is no longer publicly traded.

In 2021, the winery on Big Ranch Road closed and announced plans to open at a different location.

Wines
Winemaker Bob Pepi, co-founder with his father of Robert Pepi Winery (now Pepi Winery), and owner of the "Eponymous" winery, has been winemaker since the winery opened in 1996. The winery produces a wide variety of "super-premium" category wines from grapes grown on-site and sourced from various locations in California. It also resells a small quantity of wine imported from Italy.