[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING BUENA VISTA WINERY'S WINE TOOL MUSEUM

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                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2015

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Buena Vista Winery on the occasion of the opening of their new, first-
of-its-kind Wine Tool Museum. The oldest premium winery in the United 
States, Buena Vista has been in operation since 1857 when a Hungarian 
immigrant, Count Agoston Haraszthy, established the vineyards and built 
the winery. Over the intervening years, the winery has had a colorful 
history, passing through many hands before ultimately being purchased 
by Jean-Charles Boisset in 2011. Boisset immediately hatched a plan to 
turn the property around that eventually culminated in the creation of 
the Wine Tool Museum, which officially opened to the public on March 
24, 2015.
  The Boisset family already had an impressive wine tool collection 
when Jean-Charles's sister encountered a man in Burgundy looking for a 
buyer for his enormous thirty thousand item collection of wine tools. 
With the combination of Boisset family implements and the new 
acquisitions, the Museum's collection encompasses items as diverse as 
antique plows and blades, secateurs, and wine harvest baskets.
  Along with its impressive collection of tools, the Museum guides 
visitors through history with an educational film that traces 
winemaking in the region from the early days of Haraszthy through the 
plague of phylloxera. The first of its kind museum tells the story of 
California's wine community. People will not only be able see, but also 
learn about, the tools that brought wine from the vine to the bottle a 
century and a half ago.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and proper that we honor Buena Vista 
Winery at this time. Its commitment to not only preserving viticultural 
history, but demonstrating the evolution of the profession, will help 
increase awareness and appreciation for California and Sonoma's long 
history of winemaking.

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