The Wine Institute

The darkening days of late fall provide a fitting backdrop for haunted winery stories-paranormal sightings and occurrences - in some of the old stone buildings and dimly lit cellars of California's wine country. As harvest draws to a close, the lore of the past comes to the fore. At Concannon Winery in Livermore Valley and Dry Creek Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, winery members relate personal experiences and those of other staff about various ethereal happenings.

"Early in the morning and late at night, our lab technician will feel a cold breeze coming into the room and see a figure outside of the window where my father had his office in the 1920s," said Jim Concannon of Concannon Winery. "The lights go on and off regularly almost every day for no reason. None of the electricians can figure out why, because all of the wiring is in perfect condition," he continued. "One of our employees came into the winery in the morning, and all of the corks from the previous day's partial bottles in the tasting room were lying on the bar top. We have a burglar alarm, so no one could have gone in there. I think it is the ghost of my grandfather, James Concannon, looking over us."

At Dry Creek Vineyard there are tales at the winery about the ghostly presence of an American Indian man. The winery is built on the site of a Pomo Indian reservation, and arrowheads have been found in the vineyard. "One night I was working late," said Dolly Oberti, Tasting Room Manager. "It was dark, and I was shutting down the tasting room when my cell phone rang. I didn't answer it, as I was busy making copies on a copy machine. Later, when I checked to see who had called, I was surprised to see that the phone number of the missed call was my direct line right here in the tasting room." Clearly, she had not called herself.

A former employee of the winery had another spooky story. At dusk one night in July, she was closing up after an event. She walked around the winery and closed the two very large cellar doors with the wood plank used to keep them shut. She went upstairs, and when she returned to clock out, she suddenly saw that the wooden plank was on the ground and the two big doors were wide open. Usually only one of the doors is opened at a time, since they are so large and heavy. For her, this was not a scary experience, just out of the ordinary and a little unnerving, because absolutely no one was there except for herself. She had telephoned everywhere in the winery to verify this fact.

Another experience happened to her co-worker who was also working late one, stormy winter evening. She had turned all the halogen lights out in the winery, shut everything down and was driving away from the building when she looked back and saw all the lights ablaze. The next morning when she inquired if the lights had been on when the workers arrived, she was told that no, they had not.

"Ghost Wineries" Add to Historical Lore
In addition to wineries with spectral presences, there are wineries that are not necessarily haunted but referred to as "ghost wineries." The term is used to describe old, pre-Prohibition cellars, many of which existed between 1860 and 1900. When Prohibition began in 1919, there were 713 wineries in business. After repeal of Prohibition 14 years later, there were only 40 wineries left. Some were abandoned and completely disappeared; others remain as stone wall remnants of the past.

Summit Ranch on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley is a roofless skeleton of a three-story stone winery built in 1890. Sometime between 1913 and 1928, the winery was destroyed by fire from unknown causes. Now a piece of history within the 170-acre property of Pride Mountain Vineyards, this ghost winery is a reminder of the rich history of 19th Century winemaking. There are many winery ruins like Pride's Summit Ranch around California. They give an added dimension to the pioneer spirit and history of California wine.