It is well documented that the earliest recollection of vineyards was in El Dorado County, "32 vines had been planted on the place in 1849, by a Mr. Stevens. This was perhaps the first vineyard in the country, and all those others of early days were furnished from it."1 In 1854, the Stevens' small vineyard was purchased by Jacob Zentgraf who propagated the vines extensively and by 1859, he was producing from 4 to 6 thousand gallons of wine per year. Due to the prosperity of his vineyards, in 1871 he was able to afford to build a luxurious adobe home which still stands today. The home and the wine cellar are split across both sides of Deer Valley Road in El Dorado County. No vineyards or winery remains.
Perhaps, one of the largest
and most extensive winery/distillery operations in El Dorado county was
started in the very town in which gold was discovered. In the early
1850's, Martin J. Allhoff purchased 160 acres on the south east side of
Coloma. He soon began propagating thousands of vines. This was
the beginning of the once celebrated "Coloma Vineyards and
Distillery". Many historians claim that this was one of the
finest wine making facilities in the entire state at the time. Every year
during its operation the winery won prizes and awards for the excellence
of its products. While researching this topic, I was lucky enough to
come across a short manuscript written by Martin Allhoff Jr. in
1933. This proved to be very interesting because it is a first hand
account of the vineyards and the house which was built later in
1879. Click here to read the
report.
Today, the once celebrated Coloma Vineyards and Coloma Vineyard house is nothing but the house. The grounds are all overgrown and there is almost no hint of the once expansive vineyards which occupied the grounds. The house has changed hands several times throughout the years and for several years it was a restaurant. My parents used to take me there when I was younger. You would enter down a couple of steps into the basement which was composed of native stone. There was a bar on one end and a Jail cell on the other end. The dining room and kitchen was up a very steep flight of stone steps. I believe this is where the main ballroom was. I remember yet another flight of stairs the led up to several bedrooms. At the time, this was part of the bed & breakfast. It was quite remarkable at the time, and I'm sure I didn't even get to see it all. At this time, the house is owned privately and it is not open to the public. For further reading on the Coloma Vineyard House, click here.
The old Skinner Vineyard is located where Cameron Park Drive and Green Valley Road intersect. The grounds are now a nursery. The pictures on the left show the grounds back in the 1800's when the winery was thriving and there are also two pictures which I took recently inside the ruins of the old cellar. Sioli's first hand account on Skinner, "In 1860 he planted out a vineyard which was one of the first in the country, and is now one of the largest. Mr. Skinner is extensively engaged in the manufacture of wines, brandy and vinegard, for the manufacuring of which he has built a substantial and commodious two story distillery, 50 x 28, feet with additional boiler house, etc., where a six horse power engine is placed also. The wine cellar is one of the best in the county and has storage rooms for 15,000 gallons of wine."1 By all accounts, Mr. Skinner was a pillar of the community in Rescue or "Green Valley" as it were in El Dorado County.
Giovanni Napoleon Lombardo from Genoa founded the winery in the 1850's (on the left in the black and white photo). Apparently, he found the climate very well suited for fruits and vegetables, so he began planting. Once again, this proved to be a smart move because any industry which supported the thousands of miners was a money maker. He soon bought several adjacent parcels and the business began to grow. The winery was one of the few survivors of prohibition because they were permitted to produce for religious reasons. The government approval stamp is still on the door and you can make out the name "Fossati". Elmo Fossati is the great, great grandson of Lombardo. Fossati sold the property to the Boeger's in 1972 and the Boeger's have been producing wine ever since. Boeger winery is a highly recommended stop in El Dorado County. It is located off of Carson Road about one half mile from Schnell School Road. The old house/winery is still in use. In addition, there is an ancient vine which is well over 100 years old that crosses the road and is draped onto the old facility.
