John Jacob Widmer, founder of Widmer's Wine Cellars, came to Naples from Switzerland in 1882 at the invitation of his brother who had preceded him to this fertile valley in New York State's famed Finger Lakes Region. The soil, climate and particularly the west hill of the valley, seemed well adapted to grape culture and compared quite favorable with those he recalled from his European experience.

In October 1882, he bought his first plot of hillside woodland with borrowed money. He cleared it and planted his first vines in the Spring of 1883. The homestead itself was built in 1885, with a basement carefully planned for the production of wine. It was here that the Widmer wine business started in 1888.

The first wine orders were filled on request, at that time only in kegs and barrels. Swiss people in Rochester, New York and Paterson, New Jersey were among the first customers. The quality of the wine was recognized and demand spread. In 1891 a small building, later purchased and owned by Widmer, was rented from a neighbor and here Widmer first used bottles for shipment of his wines. The building, known as the Brick Cellar, was erected in 1894-95.

In 1905 a plot of land across the street was purchased, along with a warehouse which was converted into a storage facility and an improved bottling plant with a Lehigh Valley Railroad siding. Winery buildings and offices now cover this entire plot. In 1915, Widmer purchased the Kenny Basket Factory and land, using the building as a winery.

Through the succeeding years, until the advent of Prohibition in 1919, Widmer's Wine Cellars gradually enlarged. Increased volume absorbed the grapes of the valley's vineyards, except those sold to the fresh fruit markets and those taken in by a competitive company, Maxfield Wine Cellars, also located in Naples.

On January 1, 1924, the business was assumed by John Jacob Widmer's three sons: Carl, the eldest, Frank and William. Until his retirement and death in 1930, John Jacob Widmer remained active in the cultivation and processing of the fine grapes of his vineyards.

During the years of Prohibition, Widmer's Wine Cellars produced unfermented grape juice, fruit and wine jellies, syrups and kindred non-alcoholic products. A limited amount of wine was produced too, for sacramental and medicinal use. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Widmer was among the best equipped, in plant and inventory, to resume the sale of fine New York State wines. On opening day, December 5, 1933, Widmer wines were ready for shipment.

The company was incorporated in September 1933. In 1936 and 1937, a large stone cellar was constructed covering the entire plot of land purchased in 1915 (Building No.5).

Expansion continued until 1943 when a disastrous fire, originating in the tartrate drying room of the main plant, spread to the press room and grape juice bottling plant. Fortunately, the storage areas were saved and no actual products were lost. Although most of the production facilities were destroyed or badly damaged, it was possible to reclaim some of the machinery. With that and additional new equipment, the company moved immediately into the old Naples Canning Factory originally acquired in 1939. Here the presses were installed and have remained ever since for the fall processing of grapes.

Volume of grape juice sales expanded greatly during World War II, necessitating increased refrigerating facilities. Building No. 6 was constructed in 1944-45 and here grape juice (must) or newly fermented wine was, and is, stored in large glass-lined steel tanks. A temperature of 28' F - 30' F (-2' C - -1' C) is maintained constantly in the building to prevent fermentation.

Widmer acquired the Maxfield Wine Cellars in 1941, merging the facilities. The old Maxfield plant was utilized entirely for additional storage space for Widmer wines. These storage areas or "cellars" have been completely air-conditioned for maintenance of even, controlled temperatures and humidity. Formerly it was necessary to build wineries underground for coolness in summer and warmth in winter, but today it is entirely feasible to store wines on the second and third floors of buildings where air-conditioning is in operation.

In 1967, an additional 250,000 gallons of fermentation and storage capacity was added as part of a 15,000 square foot addition to Building No. 7.

In 1969, a modern concrete and steel reinforced warehouse and bottling plant was completed - providing 33,000 square feet for holding 100,000 cases of finished wines in inventory. The new facility has been designed and equipped to hold 75,000 gallons of aged wine in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling on the new automated bottling line, rated at 300 bottles per minute.

Widmer wines presently are shipped throughout the Northeast and Atlantic Seaboard. The Widmer line covers 30 or more different types of wine. It enjoys many distinctions compared to California products and other New York State wines. Already known for ports and sherries equal to the best from abroad, Widmer now markets many varietals such as Niagara, Chardonnay, Riesling, a selection of Champagnes, proprietary reds, blushes and white wines that rival European offerings.

Carrying on this tradition of quality underlies the management philosophy of the firm's present owner, Constellation Wines U.S. of Canandaigua, New York.

In so-called "open" states, such as New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Florida, Widmer sells to distributors from whose stocks retailers are supplied. In states such as Pennsylvania and West Virginia, sales are made, according to the regulations, directly to the state government and wine is delivered to assigned warehouses.

The Widmer business has grown to 860 acres of land on which there are 220 vine acres with 640 vines to the acre. As an industry, it supports the entire valley where the topography makes grape culture almost a necessity. Widmer wines maintain an acknowledged position in the American wine industry.

A combination of the old and new has made Widmer wines outstanding in quality and has earned unique prestige. Old world methods as studied by William Widmer at the Royal Wine School, Giesenheim, -AM-Rhein, Germany, personal observation and experience in the wine growing countries of Europe, and up-to-date methods developed by American ingenuity, plus the rare excellence of Naples grapes - all give Widmer wine its national reputation as a premium beverage.

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