OUR STORY

Founded in 1981

Founded in 1981, Chateau Diana is a family-owned winery in the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, California. Established by Tom and Diane Manning, the winery is now owned by their son and daughter, Corey and Dawn, following the traditions, standards, and values set down by their parents.

OUR HISTORY

1981

It all began at a bus stop in Long Island, New York. Both Tom and Diane were native New Yorkers with a love for family and tradition. Married with four kids, they moved to California in pursuit of the American Dream. They loaded up their white VW Bug and headed to California.

With his young wife Diane and their growing family, Tom lived in various states, eventually settling in beautiful Northern California. Tom was fortunate to be involved in the early days of a rapidly growing wine retailing group, Trader Joe’s. The owner personally selected Tom to develop Negociant Wine Brands.

With the rapid sales and success Tom enjoyed, he seized the opportunity to open his own winery facility in 1981. Affectionately named after his wife, Chateau Diana was born in Healdsburg, California. Craig, their eldest son, joined Tom and Diane in this exciting venture. Over the next two years, the Mannings developed new wines within the Chateau Diana brand while also looking for a more permanent home for their winery.

Chateau Diana Winery was founded in 1981, but its beginnings were crafted along a career path that would take Tom Manning, and later his young family, on a coast-to-coast journey.

1984

In 1984, Tom and Diane were presented with the opportunity to purchase the LeBarron Ranch, encompassing 60 acres in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley. These properties are rarely sold beyond word of mouth, so this was an incredible opportunity for their family to own such a remarkable piece of history.

Our family’s commitment to the LeBarrons was to retain all the original buildings on the property and have the Manning family own and operate the winery on the amazing land they entrusted us with. Through the years, we have carefully restored all of the original buildings to their former state.

Naming the winery Chateau Diana (“Home of Diana”) was Tom’s way of honoring his wife and the family she gave him—the one thing he never had growing up on the streets of New York.

Tom used to say, “Behind every good man is a great woman.”

A rebel at heart with a fearless belief in himself, Tom started selling their wines bottle by bottle to build the family business. Diane learned accounting skills, and together they began their journey of building the winery business.

Diane embraced all the staff as if they were family, ensuring everyone was well taken care of.

1985

In 1985, Tom and Diane opened the very first tasting room not directly attached to a winery in the beautiful Healdsburg square. This was a completely new concept in retailing wine and proved to be a real success for its time. Today, there are over 10 tasting rooms in the same square, and having a detached tasting room is now common practice in the industry.

1990

In 1990, Tom was one of the first pioneers to create wine to be sold in a box. Working with the original inventor of the hand soap dispenser, Tom had the idea to sell wine in a package that was more environmentally friendly, lighter to ship, and presented a greater value to the consumer.

“All success is born and raised from hardship,” Tom would say.

1999-2001

The period between 1999 and 2001 brought many sudden changes for Chateau Diana and the Manning family, the saddest of which was the unexpected passing of winemaker, brother, son, and father Craig Manning.

The continued growth of the business after this overwhelming loss was shouldered by Craig’s siblings, Dawn and Corey, along with his wife, Donna. Their dedication and commitment to hard work are a deep family conviction and have been key to the success at Chateau Diana.

When walking the grounds of Chateau Diana, you can feel the love and care Craig Manning put into the winery before his passing. He is gone but never forgotten.

2012

In 2012, the original LeBarron family homestead located on the winery property was converted into our tasting room. This was Tom and Diane’s dream—to have a tasting room open to the general public on the winery property, as a tribute to their legacy.

Their goal was to create a place where families could come and enjoy the beauty of the property while sipping a nice glass of wine. This was the inspiration behind the tasting room’s design.

Both Dawn and Corey have worked extremely hard to ensure that everyone who visits the tasting room feels welcome, as if they are longtime friends visiting the family home.

Our tasting room features a wide array of wines, wine slushies, and food. We also offer a fantastic selection of clothing and wine-related merchandise. Everyone is welcome in our tasting room, including family pets.

2017-2019

In 2017, we experienced the first of three major fires in our area. The Tubbs Fire destroyed over 3,000 homes and caused a massive economic upheaval. In 2019, the majority of Sonoma County was evacuated for five days due to the Kincaid Fire, followed by the Glass Fire, which affected the area surrounding our winery.

From these three events, we learned how to operate under extreme conditions and used these challenges as opportunities for growth.

2020

Our 707 Brand features wines from small vineyards in the Sonoma County area not often offered to the general public. Initially only offered through our tasting room, these wines are now offered through our wholesale network as well.

The Black Oak Brand offers an extensive California wine selection at a value and are available in multiple sizes to meet the growing consumer need. This brand is available in both restaurants and retail locations throughout the US and Canada.

Throughout the history of our company, we have always offered the Chateau Diana Brand. Today this brand is produced offering wines that have only 6% alcohol. The desire for lower alcohol wines has recently become a hugely popular trend and the Chateau Diana Brand is a leader in this category.

2024

Our newest wine brands Chateau Diana Zero are focused towards customers who want no alcohol wine experience as well as wines like our Lilly Brand that offers a unique experience of a white wine blended with butterfly pea pollen.

We also offer different sparkling wines that appeal to the many customers who want a sweeter sparkling wine to enjoy.

Our wines are sold throughout the world in many family-owned retail stores and restaurants. You can also find our wines in most grocery stores throughout the United States.

OUR STORY

Founded in 1981

Founded in 1981, Chateau Diana is a family-owned winery in the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg, California. Established by Tom and Diane Manning, the winery is now owned by their son and daughter, Corey and Dawn, following the traditions, standards, and values set down by their parents.

OUR HISTORY

FOUNDERS

Craig
Manning

Founding Winemaker

Tom
Manning

Founder and CEO

Diane
Manning

Co Founder

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