Santa
Clara County
Biographies
BERNARD DISTEL
This well-known viticulturist of Mountainview, Cal., is easily recognized as one of the most prominent and substantial citizens of Santa Clara valley, owning, as he does, valuable real estate in Mountainview, Palo Alto and Mayfield, in addition to his extensive vineyards, wineries and distilleries, and aside from his own personal affairs, he is identified with many prominent enterprises of his section, among them the Mountainview bank, of which he is not only a shareholder, but also a director. But it is the excellence of his brandies, and wines--port, sherry, muscat and sweet wines--that have gained for him a great deal of promise, and to him belongs the distinction of having been the first to manufacture a prune and cherry brandy. He also puts upon the market a number of special brands of other fruit brandies and his goods find a ready sale, not only in California and other parts of the United States, but have been shipped to France, Germany, Australia and other foreign countries.
Born March 11, 1846, in Alsace, Mr. Distel is a son of Norbart and Anna Marie (Scheben) Distel, both of whom were of the same nativity. His father was a distiller and a farmer, and he and his wife died in France, and it was in the common schools of that country that Bernard was educated. At the age of twelve he was able to make brandy, having learned the process in his father's distillery. In 1864 he went to Savarn and from there to the port of Havre, crossing the Atlantic from this point to New York. Proceeding to Aspinwall, he crossed the Isthmus of Panama and continued on his journey until he reached California, the goal of his ambition. In the vicinity of Mayfield he obtained work on a farm and he afterward rented and cultivated this same farm for a period of thirteen years. It was in 1881 that Mr. Distel bought a ranch of one hundred and eight acres, two miles west of Mountainview on the San Francisco road, and upon this place he has made his home ever since. It was then wild land, covered with timber and brush, and setting to work he cleared his land, which is now a fertile garden spot. He put out eighty-five acres in vineyards, all French varieties, and twenty-five acres in orchards. Owing to his knowledge of vine-growing these have done splendidly, but some of the varieties are worn out and dead and Mr. Distel is replacing them with new vines during the present year.
In 1883
a winery was erected on his place, and the same year he commenced the
manufacture of brandies and wines. In
the government books this winery is designated as Winery No. 1 and it has a
capacity of two hundred thousand gallons, and although not in operation at the
present time it will doubtless run its full capacity during the fruit
season. The distilling plant is of
medium size and the products of his plant are considered equal to the imported
article, having acquired a world-wide reputation. In 1893 Mr. Distel
generously gave ten acres of his land to the government for experimental
purposes, to be used for a period of ten years.
Here the United States department of grape investigations is carried
on. Seventy-nine varieties of grapes are
grown upon this tract and fifty additional varieties from other parts of the
world will be added next year.
Mr. Distel was married in Mayfield, to Miss Caroline Kleinclaus, also a native of Alsace, France, and two sons
and three daughters have blessed their union.
They are as follows: Victor,
deceased; Alice; Eugene; Juliette, also deceased; and Fannie. Politically, Mr. Distel
is entirely independent and his unbounded interest in educational matters is to
be inferred from his six years' service as a school director, and it may be
added that he is still serving, having been re-elected by an overwhelming
majority. The life of Mr. Distel has continued its prosperous march with scarcely an
interruption, and the phenomenal growth of his business has no doubt been due
to his excellent knowledge of the business in every department and his perfect
acquaintance with even the minutest details.
Transcribed
9-2-15 Marilyn
R. Pankey.
ญญญญSource: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 763-764. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
ฉ 2015 Marilyn R. Pankey.