Third Generation

Betty Pocai attended Armstrong College in Berkeley, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Secretarial Science. In 1947, the first domestic wine awards launched with the California State Fair Wine Competition. L. Pocai & Sons winery and vineyards was recognized for an award-winning Zinfandel and, in the years following, won gold medals for the Claret (1951) and Gamay (1954). At the time, Betty was seeking employment in San Francisco until one particular interview with an insurance agency. She told the Napa Valley Register in an interview in 2019 that she “looked out the window at the city, down at the street and thought – what am I doing here?” She told the company she would not be staying for the interview, thanked them for their time, and returned to Calistoga, where she returned to her family’s winery, preserving a century-long family tradition.