Historic Champagne Cellar Renovation

Historic Champagne Cellar Renovation. . Before you is one of the most significant historical buildings in California. At the time of its unveiling it was the grandest wine cellar in California, and our mission has been to restore it to the same heights of grandeur. It is the site of many firsts in the California wine world... The first caves dug for wine storage; the first stone winery, and it was the first gravity flow winery. Together with noted historical architect Naomi Miroglio, the building has been renovated stone by stone, through several essential endeavors., Masonry Restoration: , All of the mortar from between the stones was removed to reveal the edges of each individual stone in the building, and the mortar replaced with a mortar consisting of Natural Hydraulic Lime., Structural Strengthening: , The building before you survived two great earthquakes - 1906 and 1989 - but not without damage. In order to be re-opened to the public, it had to undergo extensive strengthening. An innovative technique called Center Core Drilling was used as it strengthens and preserves the walls with no visible evidence. A 38 foot long core is drilled into the center of the wall, into which is placed a steel rod that is then filled with grout.