Sterling winery secures Napa OK to rebuild gondola

Sterling Vineyards will be able to build a new version of the gondola system that ran for almost five decades in Napa Valley before it was destroyed in the 2020 Glass Fire.

The old system took visitors up a 300-foot hill near Calistoga to the winery modeled after a Greek monastery. No replacement parts are available for repairs and the winery's own replacement parts burned in the fire.

"The winery must replace the existing tram equipment to reopen to visitors," the project application said.

On July 27, county Zoning Administrator Brian Bordona, in a public session, approved the variance and conservation regulation exception needed for the project.

"I am happy for you guys to take one step closer to rebuilding, getting Sterling up and running again," Bordona said.

A county report mentioned a possible alternative to rebuilding the gondola system. Guests could drive up the hill to reach the winery.

But the existing road cannot support the winery's county-approved visitation program. Improving the road would take "immense amounts of grading" on steep slopes, the report said.

No one objected to the Sterling requests during public comments. However, one neighbor in a letter said a gondola is inappropriate in the Agricultural Preserve and creates a "theme park attraction."

On its website, Sterling sees the gondola in a different, positive light. "The Aerial Tram has been, and will continue to be, central to our visitor experience, as well as an iconic feature of the winery," the website says.

The new version of the gondola system will be different than the original version.

Four-person cabins are no longer available. They will be replaced with eight-person cabins, the smallest size commercially available, Sterling application papers said.

Also, the project will be reconfigured to meet modern state safety standards.

Sterling will replace nine existing towers 25 to 52 feet tall with 11 towers. Most of the new towers will be 23 to 41 feet tall. But one tower will be 58 feet tall and another 88 feet tall.

Napa County code establishes a 50-foot height limit for the towers, so a rules exception — officially called a variance — is needed.

Strictly applying the county's maximum height would result in a more visible tower system because more towers would be needed, Sterling application papers said. Some of the tower configurations would result in a bumpy ride as the cabins traveled through them.

Then there are the county conservation regulations. The system design requires guide towers and loading stations on slopes greater than 30%, which triggered the need for the exception.

The project requires removing seven oak trees. Sterling, in compensation, will plant 14 oaks on the property.

In 1971, then-co-owner Michael Stone talked about the original $300,000 gondola system. He said Switzerland, one of the prettiest countries, made good use of aerial tramways.

"We are trying to build something pleasing to complement the natural setting," Stone said of his winery-to-be.

Napa County in 1971 preferred the gondola system to such possibilities as using golf carts to reach the hilltop winery.

The Napa Valley Register in 1973 ran a five-page story that called Sterling the valley's first "tourist-orientated winery." Stone said the winery was designed to be a place of beauty and a joy to visit.

Sterling Vineyards winery is located at 1111 W. Dunaweal Lane. The winery website says a reopening could come in spring or summer 2023. Applicants for the county project were Sterling Vineyards Winery/Treasury Wine Estates Americas Co.

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