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Revision as of 19:08, 13 July 2006 by Grazon (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Agoston Haraszthy (august 30, 1812 in Futak, Hungary-july 6, 1869 in Texas), the “Father of Modern Viticulture in California,” was born in Hungary. Although commonly referred to as Count Haraszthy, he was not actually a count.
Life
He was invited to Washington by Daniel Webster and other leading Democrats in 1840, to discuss commercial relations between the US and Hungary. Although he was a chemist and metallurgist, he spent most of his life in the wine business.
going west to Wisconsin
In 1840-1841 he travelled West, and impressed by what he saw, first he purchased a small plot along the Wisconsin river, later (with his partner Robert Bryant), bought 10,000 acres for a townsite and founded Szeptaj, wich later renamed as Sauk City. The name Széptáj is merged from two hungarian words: szép (nice/beautiful) and táj (region/scenery) together meaning Beautiful scenery. Later he founded the first steamboat transport company on the Wisconsin River. In spite of these successes, Haraszthy was disappointed in not being able to establish the high quality vineyards of his native Hungary.
On to California
By 1848 the Haraszthy family decided to settle in California, where he became sheriff and later state representative in San Diego County.
Wine time
San Francisco, February, 1852 "In his frock coat and stovepipe hat, Colonel Agoston Haraszthy bent over the newly-arrived bundle of European vines, peering through a lens. A faded label bore an unfamiliar name, which seemed to be 'Zinfandel'. He planted them in his garden, and with the unfolding of their leaves unfolded the future of winegrowing in California." (Idwal Jones, Vines in the Sun)
In 1857, he purchased land in California’s Sonoma Valley and began planting vineyards. In 1861, the State Legislature commissioned him to travel to Europe in order to purchase grapevines of every possible variety. He pioneered a number of viticulture experiments and innovation and was elected president of the California State Agricultural Society. He was author of the book Grape Culture, Wines, and Wine Making.
Haraszthy is often credited with introducing the Zinfandel variety into California. However, there is strong scientific evidence that he was mistaken.
After the Wine times
In the mide 1860's after one of his better wine cellars was destroyed by fire, Haraszthy traveled to Nicaragua where he bought a sugar plantation. In 1868 his wife died of yellow fever. In 1869 while returning to California he died on board a ship. His obituary reads that he was eaten by a crocodile as his body (buried at sea) never surfaced.
See also
Source
- Agoston Haraszthy
- Agoston Haraszthy
- Groves, Martha. Making Zinfandel's case as the Calif. state wine. Los Angeles Times, February 26, 2006.
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