Agoston Haraszthy

The native form of this personal name is Haraszthy Ágoston. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Agoston Haraszthy
Born
Haraszthy Ágoston

August 30, 1812
Pest, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire[1]
DiedJuly 6, 1869(1869-07-06) (aged 56)
Corinto, Nicaragua
NationalityHungarian
Other namesCount Haraszthy, Father of California Viticulture, Father of Modern Winemaking in California
Occupation(s)Nobleman, writer, vintner, town-builder, farmer, livestock owner, store owner, brick maker, steamboat operator, ferryman, wagon master, livery stable operator, stagecoach operator, state legislator, land speculator, refinery owner, assayer, sugar plantation owner, distiller
Known forPioneer winemaker in California
SpouseElenora Dedinszky

Agoston Haraszthy (/ˈɑːɡəstən ˈhærəsti/;[2] Hungarian: Haraszthy Ágoston, Spanish: Agustín Haraszthy; August 30, 1812 – July 6, 1869) was a Hungarian American nobleman, adventurer, traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Wine", alongside Junípero Serra, as well as the "Father of California Viticulture,"[3] or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California". One of the first men to plant vineyards in Wisconsin, he was the founder of the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, California, and an early writer on California wine and viticulture.

He was the first Hungarian to settle permanently in the United States and only the second to write a book about the country in his native language.[4] He is remembered in Wisconsin as the founder of the oldest incorporated village in the state. In San Diego, he is remembered as the first town marshal and the first county sheriff.[5] In California he introduced more than three hundred varieties of European grapes.

  1. ^ "Map of the Austrian Empire". The Philatelic Database. 1871. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  2. ^ McGinty, p. 480 n. 1
  3. ^ Pinney, Thomas. A History of Wine in America. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989, p. 269.
  4. ^ Baptismal Register, Terézváros parish, Budapest; McGinty, Brian. Strong Wine: The Life and Legend of Agoston Haraszthy, pp. 4, 11.
  5. ^ McGinty, pp. 1–2.