Collection Scope and Content Note

This collection documents administrative and financial affairs of the Pleasant Valley Wine Company through its founding in 1860 through the 1950s. Included are grape growing and vineyard records, business ledgers, retail sales reports and statistics, correspondence from manufacturers, wholesalers and clients, advertising material, tax returns and other government correspondence. Correspondence with the company's traveling salesmen document the economic and social conditions of the time, especially in the period leading up to and during Prohibition. Government legislation, taxation, and regulation of alcohol is documented through legal forms, permits, and correspondence. Also included are various types of ephemera such as bottle labels, menus, advertising, and other promotional material, including a videotape, The Story of Wine, and a Betacam SP videotape, Pleasant Valley Wines. Also contains extensive business and personal correspondence of Champlin, Bauder, and Masson.