Buena Vista Winery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Buena Vista Winery
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 18000 Old Winery Rd., Sonoma, California |
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| Built | 1857 |
| Architect | Agoston Haraszthy |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001902 |
| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1986 |
Buena Vista Winery is a historic place in Sonoma, California, United States. It is known as the oldest commercial winery in California. It was started by Agoston Haraszthy in 1857. The winery is still on its original land, just east of Sonoma.
The Story of Buena Vista Winery
Buena Vista Winery was founded in 1857 by Agoston Haraszthy. He was from Budapest, Hungary. Haraszthy faced money problems with the winery. In 1863, a group of investors called the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society helped out. This group was led by San Francisco banker William Ralston.
Within two years, Buena Vista was making a lot of wine. About 2 million gallons were produced each year. But as more wineries opened in California, wine prices dropped. This made it hard for the winery to make enough money. In 1866, Haraszthy had to leave his role at the winery.
During the 1870s, the winery still produced about 100,000 gallons of wine yearly. This came from about 500 acres of grapevines. Sparkling wine was very popular. However, during tough economic times from 1873 to 1877, the society had to sell its property. The winery went out of business for a while. In the 1880s, businessman Robert C. Johnson lived on the estate.
Later, a tiny bug called Phylloxera destroyed many grapevines. This happened just before World War I. Then, a time called Prohibition began in the United States. During Prohibition, it was against the law to make or sell alcohol. This stopped any plans to reopen the winery for many years.
In 1941, Frank Bartholomew bought 435 acres of Buena Vista land. He was a news executive. He replanted some of the original grapevines. In 1943, he officially reopened the winery. He was one of the first people to invest in California's wine industry after Prohibition ended.
Bartholomew sold the property in 1968 to Vernon Underwood. Underwood planted many new grapevines. He also built a new, modern winery building. In 1979, a German company bought Buena Vista. By 1984, they owned 1,000 acres, making Buena Vista the biggest vineyard in the area.
Today, the winery is still on its original land. It is owned by the Boisset Collection. Jean-Charles Boisset bought the winery in May 2011. The old caves, which were dug by hand, are still there. They have been fixed up and are now open for visitors to tour. The visitor center is in the old wine press house. It also lets you see the original sparkling wine cellar.
Buena Vista is recognized as an important historical site. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a California Historical Landmark and a Sonoma County Historic Landmark.
Wines Made Here
The winery produces about 100,000 cases of wine each year. They use different types of grapes. Some of these include cabernet sauvignon, syrah, pinot noir, merlot, sauvignon blanc, zinfandel, and chardonnay. They also make special wines from unique historical grape types. The main winemaker is Brian Maloney. David Ramey is a consulting winemaker.
Haraszthy Villa
| Buena Vista Winery | |
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Haraszthy Villa in 2016
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| Location | Sonoma, Sonoma County |
| Official name: Site of Haraszthy Villa | |
| Reference no. | 392-1 |
A rebuilt building called Haraszthy Villa is located near Buena Vista Winery. It is also known as the Palladian Villa. This building is a reconstruction of the original villa that Haraszthy built in 1857. It is part of the Buena Vista Winery California Historical Landmark.
The villa looks out over the grapevines that Haraszthy first planted. This property was the site of California's first masquerade ball to celebrate the grape harvest. It happened on October 23, 1864. Important guests at the ball included Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and Francisca Benicia Carrillo.
Antonia Bartholomew asked for the villa to be rebuilt in 1988. It was finished in 1990. The new building looks like the original one, based on old photographs. The Frank H. Bartholomew Trust owned and took care of it. For a time, Gundlach-Bundschu also helped maintain it. There was also a museum on site that shared information about Bartholomew's life.
