Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beringer Vineyards in St. Helena, Napa County.
West Coast U.S.
277
Sterling Vineyards
An Englishman in Napa
Napa Valley, California
Peter Newton embodied all the peculiari-
ties associated with an English gentleman
living abroad. It might not seem eccentric
now to own a winery in Napa Valley, but it
was back in 1964, when there were only 25
in the whole valley, as opposed to the cur-
rent bounty of more than 300—those
famous hills were more used to grazing
cattle than blazing vineyards. And then the
winery Newton built was hardly conven-
tional. Inspired by the white hilltop villages
on the Greek island Mykonos, the Oxford-
educated paper broker constructed a
monastic-style edifice on top of a volcanic
hill, complete with brilliant, whitewashed
ramparts and simple bell towers guarding a
sun-drenched roof terrace. Church bells
transplanted from a bombed-out London
chapel chime every 30 minutes; lush foliage
surrounds the buildings (a passionate gar-
dener, Newton later started another ven-
ture call Newton Vineyard in St. Helen,
which showcases 13 stunning theme land-
scapes).
And while there is a beautifully land-
scaped driveway that goes to the top, visi-
tors to Sterling Vineyards are instead
ferried upwards from the parking lot on an
aerial tram, gliding over sculpted gardens
to reach the winery entrance at 300 feet
(90m). Prince Charles made an even more
dramatic arrival in 1977 while visiting “our
