HANNA Winery has its roots on a farm in Syria where Dr. Elias S. Hanna, a world-renowned cardiac surgeon now based in San Francisco, was born and raised. His family grew a variety of crops, including grapevines, and for him, a vineyard offered both tranquility and promise. "After I moved to San Francisco and started my practice, I was anxious to find a place in the country,” Dr. Hanna says. “I missed the pace of farm life." Beginning with 12 acres in the Russian River Valley purchased in the 1970s, he and his children began their foray into winemaking with homemade Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Hanna hired a winemaker and expanded the vineyard holdings. Today, the Hanna family owns 600 acres, 250 of which are planted, split between four different vineyards.

As family-owned wineries become increasingly rare, the Hanna family business has more meaning than ever. As HANNA Winery reaches its 25th anniversary, Christine sees signs that her son, daughter and nephews may well become a third generation in the wine business. "Our aim is to cultivate something that can go on for generations,” she says. “If we keep striving for quality in the vineyard and winery, my guess is that our children will feel the calling."