The Wine History Project of SLO County preserves and presents two centuries of local viticulture through research, interviews, exhibitions, publications, talks and tastings. We work with local museums, galleries, archives, and wineries to organize events and exhibitions in venues throughout the county.
Together We Can Preserve the Story of Central Coast Winemaking
3592 Broad Street,
Suite 104,
San Luis Obispo,
CA 93401
(805) 439-4647
libbie@winehistoryproject.org
By Appointment
Around the time of our amazing postcard visit to Sutter Home Winery in 1908, St. Helena was the bustling hub of the Upper Napa Valley and its wine industry. It was 60 miles north of San Francisco, and lauded as an ideal place to live with a climate where fruits of all kinds grow in abundance.
Above all else, Benito was a beloved member of the Dusi family, the youngest of the three Dusi brothers and a member of the second generation of the famous grape-growing family. This is the only family of growers in San Luis Obispo County that has had five generations raising and harvesting grapes. Only two members of the family have made wine commercially – Benito in the 1950s and his grandniece Janell in the 21st century.
Dante was first and foremost a farmer and grape grower. He learned his farming techniques from his father and his quality of grapes changed the history of San Luis Obispo County. Dante and Benito Dusi sold grapes to local winemakers as well as to winemakers throughout California. Dante’s love of the land and his skills as a grower made the Dusi grapes famous for their quality and helped establish the Paso Robles/Templeton area as one of the premier growing regions in California. He is remembered as a man who sealed all deals and contracts with a handshake, a smile, and his reputation.
In the late 1800s, Sonoma County made a name for itself as home to a number of Utopian colonies. Located not too far from one another, they were clustered within the great Russian River watershed that flows through the Santa Rosa plain. The 110-mile river is a vital resource in Northern California — from its headwaters in the north near Ukiah in Mendocino County, it meanders in every direction through the heart of Sonoma County’s wine country to make its way to the Sonoma Coast and the Pacific Ocean…
Our congratulations to Eberle Winery on the 40th Anniversary of the winery and to owner Gary Eberle who has contributed significantly to the wine history of San Luis Obispo County in four areas: grape varietals, the founding of the Paso Robles AVA, the production of fine red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon is his favorite) and the development of a culture of hospitality unlike any other wine area in California.
It all began about 1870 with a house, a mansion really, in St Helena in upper Napa Valley. It sat majestically on a hill above St. Helena’s Main Street (Rte. 29), on a 13-acre property on the outskirts of town going north; a few years later the Beringer Bros. Winery and its imposing Rhine House would become their next-door neighbors.
Our 40-minute documentary, 91 Harvests, takes a loving look at four generations of a Paso Robles farming family, the Dusis. Famous for growing premium wine grapes which have been sought after by some of California’s top winemakers for decades, their story spans more than 100 years and 91 harvests. This film will be premiering on March 18, 2020, at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival.
The David and Judy Breitstein historic collection catalog includes bottles exhibited at both the CIA at Copia in downtown Napa and the historic Barrel Room at CIA Greystone in St. Helena. A large percentage of these bottles are exhibited at CIA at Copia.
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