| Name |
Antoine Delmas [1, 2, 3, 4] |
| Born |
Abt 1818 |
France  [5] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Immigration |
1849 |
San Francisco, San Francisco, California [2, 6] |
| France |
|
|
| Occupation |
1851 |
San Jose, Santa Clara, California [2, 3] |
| wine grape grower |
- One of the important family names in the history of wine in northern California, Antoine Delmas came to Caisson in 1849 and established a nursery in San Jose in 1851. The next year, he imported the first French wine-grape vines to the state. The collection included vines labeled Cabrunet, Merleau, and Black Meunier. He also brought in European vinifera varieties from nurseries in New England, one variety arriving as the Black St. Peter's which turned out to be ZINFANDEL. He was also a pioneer in advocating the use of elemental sulfur to fight powdery mildew.
In 1860 he imported some of the first authentic European winery and distillery equipment. He is less kindly remembered as the first to import French snails to California, today the ubiquitous California brown snail.
FRENCH COLOMBARD. There were 539.556 tons of this variety crushed in California in 1994, over 95 percent from vineyards in the Central Valley. That quantity was more than the combined total tonnage of the next two most important white wine grapes, Chardonnay and Chenin blanc. Although production has dropped some, it is still the state's number one white wine variety in tonnage. In 1961 there were 1,465 acres of this variety in California, down from about 3,000 in the 1940s. But , because it yields a clean, well-flavored wine with good acidity, it accounted for over 70,000 acres in the state by the early 1980s.
A variety of wine grape first brought to California in the 1850s by Antoine Delmas and Pierre Pellier, it was grown for years in the Central Valley as "West's White Prolific," named for George West. It is only in the past 30 years that it has become an important part of California viticulture. Wines from this variety are usually blended to improve inexpensive white jug wines or to dilute good white varietals from the Central Valley. It is also used extensively for Charmat-process sparkling wine. It is rarely sold as a varietal, but if it is, the AVA must appear on the label in direct conjunction with the varietal designation. The name Colombard alone is also a legal synonym for the variety in this country.
In 1996 California produced 427,737 tons of French Colombard, 63 percent of the 1990 total produced in 1990.
|
| Census |
19 Aug 1870 |
Alviso, Santa Clara County, California [5, 7] |
- Line 10, Dwelling 890, family 861.
On line 32, dwelling 896 (6 houses down the street) live his son Delphin, with wife Pauline and daugther Delphine.
He is listed as Antonio by HeritageQuest, and that could be his name, or it could be Antoine. I am convinced he is the father of Delphin M. Delmas. He lives in a rich neighborhood, by himself, "unemployed", from France, 52 years old. He has $20,000 in real estate and $10,000 in personal estate.
|
 |
Census of 1870 - California, Santa Clara County
San Jose Ward 2, Alviso, Page (105) 331a |
| Census |
1880 |
San Jose, Santa Clara, California [8] |
| 4th Ward |
- In 1880 Antone is living on El Dorado Street as a border in dwelling 526, family 546. He is 62 years old and his occupation is "capitalist" from France.
His landlords are a baker and his wife, from France. There are two servants in the household both male, 19 and 24, one born in California, parents from France, the other from Austria, parents from Austria.
Besides Antone, there is another border from France, Kate Sansome, female, 49. The member of the household is a border, John Lilich, "capitalist", from Prussia.
Next door is a Chinese family of 6 who all work in a laundry.
On the other side we have an Irish saloon keeper. And it appears a hotel is next door to the saloon. It contains a tailor and 3 laborers from Ireland. A blacksmith, a hotel keeper, his wife and two daughters appear to be the other boarders. The hotel keeper and his wife were from Sweden. His daughter and the blacksmith were born in the U.S. One more family lives in this building, it appear to be the landlord and his wife also from Sweden, and their two daughters born in California.
Next to the hotel, live a dress maker and her two daughters.
And next to her, 4 doors from the two "capitalists" live a "prostitute", Mary Salas, 25.
|
 |
Census of 1880 - California, Santa Clara
San Jose, 4th-Ward, District 247, page 54 |
| Name |
Antone Delmas [9] |
| Name |
Antonio Delmas [5] |
| Died |
8 Aug 1888 [9] |
| Person ID |
I54585 |
If the Legends Are True... |
| Last Modified |
3 Jan 2021 |
Abt 1818 - 1888 (~ 70 years)
