Historic Sonoma Winery Wins Award
Buena Vista Winery was awarded the 2013 California Preservation Design Award for Craftsmanship/Preservation Technology at the 30th annual California Preservation Awards ceremony in San Francisco recently.
Beuna Vista was founded in 1857 by Count Agoston Haraszthy and is regarded as California’s first premium winery. Over the decades it has had a series of owners and is now in the capable hands of Jean-Charles Boisset who owns wineries in many parts of the world. The subject of the restoration was the Champagne Cellars that closed to the public after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Cellars location was last used in 1979.
In order to preserve the integrity of the stone building, cores were drilled vertically in the walls from top to bottom and single rods of reinforced steel inserted. The rods were then packed in grout. Beyond strengthening the walls, the stonework both inside and out was re-pointed and cracked stones replaced. The asphalt driveway was replaced with hand-chiseled cobblestone. The restoration started shortly after Boisset purchased the winery in 2011.
Buena Vista is a beautiful, historic winery and well worth a visit next time you are in Sonoma.