 |
| Landmark #392 | Sonoma County | Visited: August 13, 2016 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Buena Vista Winery is still open for business! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Founded in 1857, this is the birthplace of California wine. Its founder, Colonel Agoston Haraszthy, called the father of the state’s wine industry, toured Europe in 1861 to gather grape vine cuttings, he also oversaw planting the vineyards and digging wine storage tunnels into the limestone rock of the hillsides.
OTHER TIDBITS: Count Haraszthy is also known to be the first person to plant hops in Wisconsin, laying the framework for America’s beer industry! The winters proved too much for his grapes, though, which brought him out to California during the Gold Rush! He searched for prime grape growing land from San Diego to San Francisco to San Mateo until he finally settled on Sonoma! The fertile, volcanic soil and the cool breezes from San Pablo Bay gave this area the perfect terroir, French for “soil and environmental conditions.” During his experiments, “Count” Haraszthy built California’s first gravity-flow winery and was the first to experiment with redwood barrels for fermentation! He encouraged wine growing by anyone who would take his cuttings and was the first to actively push for improving wine growing techniques in California! Buena Vista Vinicultural Society (BVVS) carried on Agoston Haraszthy’s legacy after his investors forced him out and he moved to Nicaragua, where he died after falling into an alligator infested stream. This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
|
| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 18000 Old Winery Rd 2 mi NE of Sonoma, CA 95476 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~409mi (659km) — 6.9hrs |
| When should I go? | The winery is open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM! |
