Terra Valentine takes winemaking to a new level-about 2,100 feet above the Napa Valley. It is a winery that brings together a state-of-the-art fermentation system with the uncovered beauty of an ar...

Terra Valentine takes winemaking to a new level-about 2,100 feet above the Napa Valley. It is a winery that brings together a state-of-the-art fermentation system with the uncovered beauty of an artisan-constructed building-a colorful and well-hidden treasure of Spring Mountain history.

Visitors to the Terra Valentine Winery know they've arrived in an extraordinary place even before setting foot inside. A Greco-Romanesque statue greets them from his perch above the enormous copper-plated double door that serves as the winery entrance. The doors' metal knobs are designed to look like large fish, graciously arching their backs into convenient handles. And that's just the front door.

Completed in 1970, the two-story, 17,000-square-foot winery is made of native stone and concrete. While the uniquely designed winery was in active use until the early 1980s, the reclusive nature of previous owner Fred Aves kept its existence largely secret. A Renaissance man of wide-ranging interests and self-education, Aves handset the winery's stonewalls, largely by himself. To construct the floors and elegant curved columns on the upper floor, he built his own concrete batch plant on site.

Stained glass windows grace nearly every wall of the winery. The windows portray ancient winemaking images and scenes from Roman and Greek mythology. Between the winery's two floors are matching cast iron spiral staircases, the steps of which are sculpted images of grape clusters. The railings are designed to look like grape vines. The staircase on the northern end of the winery ascends to the second floor into a large mock wine cask with a doorway. Sumptuous oak paneling lines the wall of the tasting room. The paneling was originally built for a London wine merchant's office and brought over piece-by-piece for the walls of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon. Aves discovered the paneling, which had never been installed by Hearst.

In 1999, Angus and Margaret Wurtele discovered the Spring Mountain gem, purchased the winery and surrounding vineyard and began refurbishments. State-of-the-art fermentation equipment and modern electricity and plumbing were added, while the winery's stained glass, carved wood and other one-of-a-kind design features were preserved.

$30 for guided tour and tastings (offered daily at 10:30 and 2:30)
Appointments required

$30 for guided tour and tastings (offered daily at 10:30 and 2:30)
Appointments required