Cresta Blanca Winery

Wetmore planted this ground while serving on the state's own Board of Viticultural Commissioners, which had sent him to study French vineyards at the 1878 Paris Exposition. He came back with Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon cuttings from Château d'Yquem, and a dry white from them took the Grand Prix for fermented beverages at Paris in 1889, a French exposition built to prove its own wines inimitable. Schenley ran the winery from 1941 until it closed in 1965. The Wentes bought the property in 1981 and rededicated this plaque four years later; its limestone caves reopened for tours in 2026.

What the plaque says

Cresta Blanca Winery Here Charles A. Wetmore planted his vineyard in 1882. The Cresta Blanca wine he made from its fruit won for California the first international award, the highest honor at the 1889 Paris Exposition, first bringing assurance to California wine growers that they could grow wines comparable to the finest in the world. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 586 Plaque placed by California State Park Commission in cooperation with Livermore Chamber of Commerce, June 15, 1957. Rededicated by the Wente Bros. Sparkling Wine Cellars, August 24, 1985.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Concannon Vineyard — 3.1 mi
• Wente Bros. Winery — 3.3 mi
• Livermore Memorial Monument — 4.8 mi
• Francisco Solano Alviso Adobe — 8.9 mi