In honor of International Women’s History Month, it is only fitting to honor some of the famous women in wine history. One of whom very few people have heard, but is responsible for helping to launch two of the world’s largest wine brands, is Teresa Franzia. Standing at a dominative 4’11 inches, Teresa immigrated from Italy in the early 1900s to meet her betrothed, Giuseppe Franzia.

They settled in Ripon, California, and by 1906 Teresa had planted wine grapes in her back yard. Over the years, this grew into an 80-acre vineyard, and the Franzia’s made a living selling wine grapes. They survived Prohibition by trucking the grapes eastward to sell to home winemakers.