ne of California’s first sheriffs, Agoston Haraszthy was elected Sheriff of San Diego County in 1850. He built the first jail and served two colorful years before moving north to pursue “purple gold” – the perfect terroir for fine wines. He found it in Sonoma County where he established Buena Vista Winery in 1857. Our wine honors his pioneering legacy in law enforcement and winegrowing, as well as all of those individuals who protect and serve our communities.
The story of our illustrious founder, Count Agoston Haraszthy, is as long as it is colorful. After leaving the nobility behind in Hungary and before planting his grapes in at Buena Vista, The Count undertook a nine-month journey by wagon train from Wisconsin to the glimmering Pacific in hopes of finding Gold in California. Never one to pass on an entrepreneurial opportunity, Haraszthy first settled in the coastal town of San Diego where he purchased land, planted grapevines, and on April 1st, 1850 was elect
San Diego in 1850 was a lively town; hotels, saloons, and gambling parlors surrounded all edges of the central Plaza, serving the many travelers passing through as well as locals desirous of excitement. San Diego’s first jail, built by the Count himself, was rarely empty long. After its completion, the citizens of San Diego passed new rules and regulations to officially calm their restive, adventurous citizens. Ordinances prohibiting, “riotous or disorderly noise by firing guns, pistols, or otherwise,” and