Jim Corridan is the President of the Board of the Dana Adobe. Libbie Agran, Director of the Wine History Project, toured the Heritage Mission Grape Vineyard planted three years ago at the Dana Adobe by retired viticulturist Jim Efird. The Dana Adobe was originally built on the Rancho Nipomo land grant of over 48,000 acres in 1839 by Sea Captain William Goodwin Dana. The two story adobe home and the land reflects the history of centuries from the ancient Chumash villages built on the land over 10,000 years to the Spanish occupation which brought the agricultural heritage we enjoy today to the cattle industry during the Mexican Era when Mexico defeated Spain in the early 1800s and finally California Statehood as the United States took control in 1850.
The Spanish brought the first wine culture to California by planting the Mission Grape, followed by orchards of fruit trees, and gardens of vegetables, herbs, and flowers along the coast of California. They also brought the science of irrigation, nurturing soils, planting, and harvesting techniques that we use in agriculture to this day. Wine was made for religious purposes at the missions, but also was produced commercially for trade. The Wine History Project partnered with the Dana Adobe to share this history by planting the vineyard in the Spanish tradition and building a wall of local natural stone filled with fossils to protect it. Jim Corridan reports that the vineyard is dry-farmed and the grapes and vines are growing voraciously. The large vines are pruned in a goblet shape to protect the grapes from sunburn. Fruit has been dropped twice so far to raise the sugar content in the final crop. An arbor shelters one end of the vineyard, and bunches of grapes are hanging to the delight of visitors.
Libbie asked how the Dana Adobe is engaging the public in the vineyard. There are hundreds of descendants in the Dana family. Family events, including reunions, bar-b-ques, and teas, bring the family together several times a year. The public is invited on tours and to attend events in the vineyards, such as lectures, weddings, meetings, and the monthly Wine Down Wednesdays held monthly with music, food, and local wines for guests. On Wednesday, August 6, Saucelito Canyon Winery and Vineyards will be pouring their wines made with grapes grown in the oldest heritage vineyard in the county, dating back to 1880. On September 3, the Miller family will be pouring a variety of their wines, and on October 1, Mike Sinor and his wife Cheri will pour their Sinor-LaVallee from their Bassi Vineyard just 1.2 miles from the ocean in nearby Avila. Harvest is expected in early October with public participation. The Wine History Project has gifted two old wine presses dating back to the 1880s, so the grapes will be crushed by the public as they were 130 years ago.
The Dana Adobe is planting an orchard of fruit varieties brought to California in the Mission era by the Spanish. Two pomegranates, two varieties of apples, four peach trees, four pear trees, four cherry trees, two Valencia oranges, two Bearrs limes, and one quince are planted to the northeast of the vineyard. Nearby, a Mexican mud-adobe outdoor oven, known as a horno, has been built near the kitchen of the adobe. The horno was originally introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors. The Spanish introduced this oven in all their occupied lands. It was commonly used by the Native Americans and the early settlers in what is now California.
Heritage Day will be celebrated in the fall, where music, food, and history will join together to present the culture and music of the Rancho and California periods.
The rose garden has been recently planted across from the vineyard with 27 roses that were well known in the late 1880s. Captain Dana’s wife grew many of them. The rose garden contains a beautiful bench honoring the Wine History Project. Come visit soon and check out this amazing historical property with the mission to present our California history from the Chumash period to the present.
The Wine History Project is so appreciative of the participation and hard work by the Board of the Dana Adobe over the last five years and the volunteers who have planted and maintained the beautiful vineyard, rose garden, and orchard. The historical exhibits on display with artifacts and photographs in the Cultural Centers are very informative. Be sure to enjoy these exhibits.
