Native American contributions to Sonoma’s wine industry

Peter Meyerhof will discuss his latest research that sheds light on a long-forgotten contributor to the earliest days of the Sonoma Valley wine industry. He will be speaking as part of the Sonoma Valley Historical Society’s Second Saturday lecture series at the Community Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14.

His talk will focus on a Native American who had labored at the Sonoma Mission and learned the skills of grape cultivation and who has recently been identified. According to Meyerhof, in the years before the arrival of General Vallejo, the native man received a small land grant east of Sonoma in recognition for his services to the mission. On this land he personally established the first privately owned vineyard in the Sonoma Valley. The land changed ownership several times over the following 35 years but these vines were maintained. They produced grapes used for making award-winning wine over many years and established the reputation of well-known vintners and wineries.

Admissions to the talk is $5, Historical Society members are free.