Ken Wilson

Grape growing formed the base of Ken Wilson’s work before he moved into wine ownership, a shift from vineyard labor to the broader responsibilities of making and selling wine. Ontario, Canada marks his place of birth, while Sonoma County in Sonoma County marks the ground where that progression took shape. In 1994, Wilson founded Wilson Winery, turning a grower’s discipline into a winery identity that has remained central to his career.

The current work sits in ownership: Wilson Winery in Healdsburg and Wilson Artisan Wineries in Healdsburg. In both, the vineyard remains the reference point, with Wilson’s name attached to a business built around the long view that grape growing demands.

The signature bottlings here are 1994 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 1995 Zin. Taken together, they map the range of Wilson’s work and the period when his name became tied to wines with a clear market identity.

At Pezzi King Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, the 1995 Zin was described as rich, jammy, and fruit-forward, and as setting a new standard in Zinfandels. Wilson’s own comment on it places the wine in context: "Pezzi King changed the way we looked at Zinfandel and turned the local winemaking world upside down with its 1995 Zin." The line points to the bottle’s impact not as a one-off, but as a reference point in the local field.