EXHIBIT 3.1



                 AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

                                       OF

                             RAVENSWOOD WINERY, INC.









                 AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

                                       OF

                             RAVENSWOOD WINERY, INC.


         The undersigned certify that:

         1. They are the President and  Secretary,  respectively,  of Ravenswood
Winery, Inc., a California corporation (the "Corporation").

         2. The Articles of  Incorporation  of the  Corporation  are amended and
restated to read in their entirety as follows:

                  FIRST:  The name of the Corporation is Ravenswood Winery, Inc.

                  SECOND:  The  purpose of the  Corporation  is to engage in any
lawful  act or  activity  for which a  corporation  may be  organized  under the
General Corporation Law of California other than the banking business, the trust
company business or the practice of a profession permitted to be incorporated by
the California Corporations Code.

                  THIRD:

                  (a) The  Corporation  is  authorized  to issue two  classes of
stock, to be designated,  respectively,  Preferred Stock ("Preferred Stock") and
Common Stock ("Common Stock").  The total number of shares of capital stock that
the  Corporation  shall  have  the  authority  to issue  is  twenty-one  million
(21,000,000).  The total  number of shares of  Preferred  Stock the  Corporation
shall have the authority to issue is one million  (1,000,000).  The total number
of shares of Common Stock the  Corporation  shall have the authority to issue is
twenty  million   (20,000,000).   Upon  the  amendment  of  this  article,  each
outstanding share is split into sixty-three (63) shares.

                  (b) The Board of Directors of the  Corporation  (the "Board of
Directors")  is expressly  authorized  to provide for the issue of all or any of
the shares of the Preferred  Stock in one or more series,  and to fix the number
of shares and to determine or alter for each such  series,  such voting  powers,
full or limited, or no voting powers (other than as prescribed by law), and such
designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights,
and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated
and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors
providing for the issue of such shares and as may be permitted by the California
Corporations  Code.  The Board of  Directors  is also  expressly  authorized  to
increase or decrease the number of shares of any series  subsequent to the issue
of shares of that series (but not below the number of shares of such series then
outstanding).  In case the  number  of  shares  of any such  series  shall be so
decreased,  the shares  constituting such decrease shall again be authorized for
issuance as Preferred Stock.

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                  (c) Except to the  extent  required  by  applicable  law,  the
Corporation will not issue fractional shares of stock, either originally or upon
transfer,   including   issuances   required   in   connection   with   mergers,
reorganizations  or  reclassifications  or  the  exercise  of  option,  warrant,
conversion or similar  rights.  In connection with any issuance of shares which,
in the  absence of the  foregoing  provision,  would  require  the  issuance  of
fractional  shares,  the Corporation shall pay in cash to those entitled thereto
the fair value of the fractional shares they would otherwise have received.

                  FOURTH:  In  furtherance  and not in  limitation of the powers
conferred by statute,  the Board of Directors shall have the power,  both before
and after receipt of any payment for any of the Corporation's  capital stock, to
adopt,  amend,  repeal or otherwise alter the Bylaws of the Corporation  without
any action on the part of the shareholders. The grant of such power to the Board
of Directors,  however,  shall not divest the shareholders of, nor limit,  their
power to adopt, amend,  repeal or otherwise alter the Bylaws;  provided that any
action by the shareholders to adopt, amend, repeal or otherwise alter the Bylaws
shall  not be  effective  except  upon the  affirmative  vote of not  less  than
two-thirds of the shares of the Corporation  then issued and  outstanding  which
have the right to vote on the matter. Any amendment of this Article Fourth shall
require the approval by the affirmative  vote of not less than two-thirds of the
shares of the Corporation  then issued and  outstanding  which have the right to
vote on the matter.

                  FIFTH:  The liability of the directors of the  Corporation for
monetary  damages shall be eliminated to the fullest  extent  permissible  under
California law.

                  SIXTH:    The    Corporation    is   authorized   to   provide
indemnification  of  agents  (as  defined  in  Section  317  of  the  California
Corporations  Code) for breach of duty to the Corporation  and its  shareholders
through bylaw  provisions  or through  agreements  with the agents,  or both, in
excess  of  the  indemnification  otherwise  permitted  by  Section  317  of the
California   Corporations   Code,   subject  to  the   limits  on  such   excess
indemnification set forth in Section 204 of the California Corporations Code.

                  SEVENTH:  Effective  on the date  that the  Corporation  first
becomes  required to file periodical and other reports pursuant to Section 13 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and with respect to any actions to be taken
thereafter,  any action required or permitted to be taken by shareholders of the
Corporation  must be taken at a duly  called  annual  meeting  or a duly  called
special meeting of shareholders of the  Corporation,  and no action may be taken
by the  written  consent of the  shareholders.  Any  amendment  of this  Article
Seventh  shall  require the  approval by the  affirmative  vote of not less than
two-thirds of the shares of the Corporation  then issued and  outstanding  which
have the right to vote on the matter.

         3.  The  foregoing   amendment  and  restatement  of  the  Articles  of
Incorporation has been duly approved by the Board of Directors.

         4.  The  foregoing   amendment  and  restatement  of  the  Articles  of
Incorporation  has been duly  approved by the required vote of  shareholders  in
accordance  with Sections 902 and 903 of the California  Corporations  Code. The
total  outstanding  shares of the  Corporation  are  3,550,852  shares of Common
Stock, all of which were entitled to vote with respect to the present



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amendment and restatement of the Articles of Incorporation. The affirmative vote
of more than 50% of the Common Stock was required for approval of the  amendment
and  restatement of the Articles of  Incorporation.  In accordance  with Section
903(a)(1) of the  California  Corporations  Code, in excess of 50% of the Common
Stock  voted  in favor of the  amendment  and  restatement  of the  Articles  of
Incorporation.

         We further declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State
of  California  that the  matters  set  forth in this  certificate  are true and
correct of our own knowledge.

Date:  February 1, 1999


                           /s/ Joel E. Peterson
                           -----------------------------------------------------
                           Joel E. Peterson, President


                           /s/ Justin M. Faggioli
                           -----------------------------------------------------
                           Justin M. Faggioli, Secretary



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