Tour a Homey California Winery That’s Equal Parts Stylish and Sustainable

On the historic grounds of Zinc House Farm, the Franzia family’s newest project fuses wine, design, and sustainability—creating a destination that feels both timeless and boldly modern.

In Escalon, along a quiet stretch of Highway 120, the future of California wine country is taking shape. Clark Ferrea Winery, the newest chapter in the Franzia family’s storied winemaking legacy, is a vision for how wine, farming, and design can converge to tell a richer story about place.

Suzanna Scott

Built on the historic grounds of Zinc House Farm, Clark Ferrea is a working winery, a farm, and a cultural hub rolled into one. The 10,000-square-foot arbor that greets visitors creates a dramatic threshold, framing views of the surrounding San Joaquin countryside and signaling that this is no ordinary winery visit. A monumental sculpture by British artist Conrad Shawcross anchors the landscape, offering a contemporary counterpoint to the rows of vines and farmland beyond. 

Inside, designer Alexis Banks Humiston has crafted interiors that are both transportive and deeply rooted in California history. The centerpiece is a custom de Gournay wallpaper—three years in the making—that depicts a Yosemite-inspired scene in the style of Hudson River School luminists, its rose-gold accents catching the light like a Sierra sunset. The result is a tasting room that feels like a living painting, a space where past and present coalesce.

Suzanna Scott

Sustainability is at the heart of the project. The winery was designed with a high-performance building envelope, advanced energy systems, and regenerative farming practices that exceed environmental standards. Beyond wine, the property features an organic produce store highlighting Zinc House Farm’s own fruits, vegetables, and flowers alongside goods from neighboring farms.

Programming is equally ambitious: seasonal camps for kids, workshops in regenerative farming and natural dyeing, and events that invite guests to engage with the land. “Everything either needs to have flowers, beautiful leaves, or another element that shines,” says grounds supervisor David Anderson, who has added a rose garden featuring more than 400 species.

Suzanna Scott

The winery’s very name honors Frances Zulieme Bell Clark and Teresa Ferroggiaro Ferrea—two pioneering women in the family’s lineage—while fourth-generation winemaker Carol Franzia crafts the wines. Together, they represent a continuation of the family’s mission: to make wine accessible, to celebrate the land, and to tell a story that is uniquely of California.

Clark Ferrea is a reimagining of what wine country can be: immersive, educational, and profoundly connected to its roots.