It took a big leap to go from toe-tapper to grape-stomper, but that is the graceful transition legendary dance performer Rodney Strong made in 1959 when he and his longtime dance partner, Charlotte Ann Wilson, married and moved to Tiburon, Calif., to begin a new life.

In 1962, Strong purchased vineyard land and an old winery in Windsor. His wine, made from estate-grown grapes, eventually garnered so much attention that he was able to raise enough equity to buy land in Sonoma County — which at the time was still known more for prune orchards than for grape vineyards.