Tag: historic wineries in Napa

Persistence. Dedication. Hope. Just a few of the characteristics needed to create and sustain historic wineries in Napa Valley. Napa Wine Tours has selected a few Napa Valley historic wineries to share. Each with their own unique stories. Becoming a historic winery in Napa Valley was not easy. In the 1890’s vines were destroyed by the almost microscopic insect related to aphids, phylloxera. In 1920, Prohibition banned the production, sale, and transportation of liquids containing alcohol. Then, in 1929, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. In the late 1980’s through the 1990’s, phylloxera hit Napa Valley again with devastating effects. These are just a few of the obstacles these historic wineries have confronted and defeated. Charles Krug Winery Charles Krug immigrated from Prussia to the United States. In 1861 he established the first commercial winery. His determination, hard work, and creative thinking inspired others and by 1889, more than 140 wineries were founded. After his death in 1892 the winery became the property of James Moffitt until 1943 when Moffitt sold Charles Krug Winery to Cesare Mondavi. Today, Charles Krug Winery continues to thrive under Peter Mondavi and his family. Beringer Vineyards Jacob Beringer left his home in Germany and arrived in New York in 1868. The lure of California and Napa Valley captured more than his attention and in 1875 he and his brother purchased the land where they would plant their first vineyard. Beringer Vineyards was founded in 1876. Since 2001 Beringer has been designated as a historic district and is in the National Register for Historic Places. Today Beringer offers a variety of tours of their extensive, historic grounds along with tastings of their impeccable wines. Freemark Abbey The first woman on record to own a winery in Napa was Josephine Tychson. In 1886,