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Happy Mother's Day
from the Wine History Project!
With the onset of spring and summer-like weather we are having in San Luis Obispo County, we are seeing vines pop and fruit bunches forming in the vineyards. As we all continue to work together through this difficult time in our history, we want to take this moment to thank all our first responders, healthcare providers, farmers and essential workers as they continue to support us.
To all the mothers, we honor you and wish you all a wonderful and happy Mother's Day! There are so many virtual wine events and opportunities to shower your mother with love (and wine!).
In this month's newsletter, we highlight the Klintworth family, our recently released documentaries and more.
Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and subscribe to our Vimeo channel so you will get updates on new films and news each week.
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 Klintworth Family
Gerd and Ilsabe Klintworth, both born in Hanover Germany, immigrated to Orange, Southern California, in their late twenties, to live and work in the famous Mission grape growing Anaheim Colony. In 1883, the year Gerd went to work for the Boston Company, Pierce Disease was detected in the vineyards. In 1886 Gerd and his new bride moved to the Linne District east of Paso Robles, bought 80 acres, and successfully farmed grains, cattle, and grapes for four generations. Gerd is credited with the first to bring grain farming to the area; Gerd was the first winemaker to be licensed in the Linne District.
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WINE HISTORY PROJECT / News & Events
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Call For Photos: Wine History Project Book
The Wine History Project is seeking to collect historic photos from our county's wine Industry for an upcoming book. We are seeking photos of vineyard plantings, production, wine labels, and photos of those whom helped to shape the local wine industry. In particular, we are seeking photos of local farm advisor Jack Foote. Our deadline for collecting photos is June 1st, 2020. If you have photos you would like to share to be archived and potentially used in the book, please contact heather@winehistoryproject.org.
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The Wine History Project will be featured in The SOMM Journal next month in the June/July Issue! Be sure to pick up a copy or subscribe today. The June/July issue will be released toward the end of May 2020.
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Be sure to pick the upcoming June/July issue of SLO Life Magazine. Featured next month is the story of Tom Myers and the growth of the wine industry in San Luis Obispo County through custom crush. When Tom became the winemaker in 1982 at Estrella River Winery, new wineries were opening around Paso Robles; most were small with little experience in viticulture or enology. Estrella River was producing a surplus of wine from their own vineyards; the winery offered custom crush services, bottling wine under labels established by Mission View in San Miguel, Barron and Kolb, Gary Eberle, John Munch and Niels Udsen in Paso Robles.
The editorial is written by Libbie Agran, founder of the Wine History Project and will be available the first week of June. |
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Wine History Project Releases Documentaries
The Wine History Project has released two new documentaries that are now available to rent or own on our Vimeo Page:
91 HARVESTS
91 Harvests features the legacy of the Dusi family, five generations of grape growers and winemakers in Paso Robles.
The story of the Dusi Vineyard began in the early 1920s, when Sylvester and Caterina Dusi, emigrants from Northern Italy, moved to Paso Robles in the early 1920s. The Dusi Vineyard introduced some of the first Zinfandels to California’s Central Coast, and eventually bought an additional property on the west side of Highway 101. Three generations after Janell Dusi’s great-grandparents first planted the land with Zinfandel, she is continuing the legacy and this charming documentary tells their story.
TOM MYERS: MADE IN PASO
The Wine History Project's second documentary, Tom Myers: Made in Paso, is now available to rent or purchase on Vimeo. This is the Wine History Project's "official" premier of this short film. Tom Myers is recognized as the expert on the science of making wine in San Luis Obispo County.
Tom Myers, Winemaker, Castoro Cellars
Photo Credit: Julia Perez
As of 2019, he is also recognized as the man who has filled over 190 million bottles with San Luis Obispo County wine following his 42 harvests. Winemakers describe Tom as a problem solver, mild mannered and all talent without the ego. Perhaps the best description of his talents, according to his colleagues and local winemakers: “Tom Myers is the awesome winemakers’ winemaker.” Tom talks about his start in the wine industry and his scientific approach to crafting world class wines.
We encourage you to rent or buy and watch one of our documentaries in the comfort of your own home!
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COLLECTIONS/ Featured Collection
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Spigots and Taps
 A spigot is a device that controls the flow of liquid from a large container and was first used in ancient Greek and Roman times for obtaining water from aqueducts, routing it into pipes and buildings, and finally into their tubs or baths. The Wine History Project has recently added twelve different spigots (also identified as faucets or taps) that are either made of wood or metal and were used in wine, beer or spirits casks/barrels. We identify them from being actively utilized during 1860-1910.
Read more about the history of spigots and taps in this month's collection feature, written by Cindy Lambert, the Wine History Project's Collections Manager.
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WINE HISTORY / Become a Contributor
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Wine History Project Becomes
Non-Profit Organization
The Wine History Project has applied for nonprofit status and is seeking donors to support research and educational projects:
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Prohibition Exhibits highlighting San Luis Obispo County History to be shown in multiple locations throughout the County in 2020.
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Exhibit on HMR Winery (Stanley Hoffman) and Andre Tchelishtchef impact on San Luis Obispo County in 1960s and 1970s.
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Exhibit on the first Edna Valley wine growers and producers in the 1970s.
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Research on the impact of home winemaking on the wine industry in San Luis Obispo County.
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Research on the rise of wine competitions at California Fairs in the 1880s.
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Research and writing of the book on the Wine History of San Luis Obispo County
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Recording and archiving the oral histories of wine growers and producers in San Luis Obispo County
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Preparing the legends and historic timelines of San Luis Obispo County featured on our website.
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Expanding the database of archived photos, files and historical documents related to San Luis Obispo wine history.
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Building our historic collections of wine tools, winemaking equipment, historic San Luis Obispo County wines, photographs, wine books and scientific instruments.
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Filming documentaries on growers and winemakers in San Luis Obispo County.
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Designing wine history tours in San Luis Obispo County.
Benefits to contributors include invitations to two Wine History Project events each year, including educational lectures, guest speakers and wine tastings, invitation to previews of exhibits, access to archives and records obtained by Wine History Project, exclusive discounts to events, and educational opportunities along with docent-lead wine history tours throughout San Luis Obispo County. To become a contributor to the Wine History Project, please contact Heather Muran at heather@winehistoryproject.org or 805-458-9016. Please mail your contributions to: Wine History Project, 3592 Broad Street, Office 104, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.
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Contact Us
Libbie Agran
Director
libbie@winehistoryproject.org
Aimee Armour-Avant
Information Designer
aimee@winehistoryproject.org
Cindy Lambert
Collections Manager
cindy@winehistoryproject.org
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Heather Muran
Historian & Outreach
heather@winehistoryproject.org
Karen Petersen
Events Manager
karen@winehistoryproject.org
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