Gustave Niebaum

Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum
Born	1842 Oulu, Finland
Died	1908
Occupation	Sea Captain Winemaker
Known for	One of the original commercial winemakers in the Napa Valley

Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum (originally Nybom) (b. 1842 in Oulu, Finland - 1908) acquired his maritime schooling in Helsinki, Finland. By the end of 1850s - now a Sea Captain - Gustave Niebaum had become the world's leading fur trader. Among his many known accomplishments Captain Niebaum founded the Alaskan Commercial Company in San Francisco, California. Captain Niebaum prepared some of the first official maps of the coastline of Alaska. As the Consul of Russia in the United States in 1867 (at the time Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy of Russia) Niebaum helped explore the territory, and promoted ratification of the Alaska purchase, by which US bought Alaska from Russia.

Winery

In 1879 Niebaum established Inglenook Winery in Rutherford, California, a small village in Napa Valley.^[1] It was the first Bordeaux style winery in USA. Captain Nienaum's wines became world-renowned, winning gold medals in the World's Fair of Paris in 1889. Niebaum's home and adjacent vineyard in Rutherford were purchased by Francis Ford Coppola in 1975 with proceeds from the original Godfather (movie). Coppola released his first vintage in 1977 under the Niebaum-Coppola label. In 1995 Coppola purchased the remaining acreage and chateau style winery which were part of the original Niebaum estate. In 2006 the winery was renamed Rubicon Estate Winery.^[2] In 2007 Niebaum was posthumously inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Vintner's Hall of Fame in 2007.^[3]>

See also

• List of wine personalities

References

1. ^ Gaughan, Timothy (July 3, 2009). "When the valley met the vine: A perfect storm, and the big five". Napa Valley Register (Napa, CA: Lee Enterprises, Inc.). http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/when-the-valley-met-the-vine-a-perfect-storm-and/article_34d7d998-9b28-597f-aafb-ee1f9ce4ece5.html. Retrieved September 30, 2011. 
2. ^ Hamlin, Suzanne (July 10, 1996). "A Director's Vision for Celebrating Food, Wine and Film". New York Times (Ruterford, CA). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E3DB1139F933A25754C0A960958260. Retrieved October 16, 2010. 
3. ^ "Vintners Hall of Fame Inductees," Culinary Institute of America

Further reading

• "Niebaum, Gustave Ferdinand". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. http://www.anb.org/articles/10/10-02253.html.  Subscription needed.

External links

• Rubicon Estate Winery

Persondata
Name	Niebaum, Gustave
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1842
Place of birth
Date of death	1908
Place of death