Pleasant Valley Wine Company
Also known as: Great Western Winery
Why it's listed
Set in a narrow valley south of Keuka Lake, this group of nine coursed-fieldstone buildings was built into a hillside beside County Road 88 between 1860 and 1911. The winery began when thirteen farmers formed the Hammondsport and Pleasant Valley Wine Company in 1860, buying land from Charles D. Champlin, whose family controlled it until 1955. Its Great Western Champagne label, introduced in 1870, drove steady expansion, and the nearby post office took the name Rheims after the French champagne capital. The company is described as the oldest winery in the Finger Lakes and as Bonded Winery Number One in both the nation and New York State. It survived Prohibition by selling sacramental and medicinal wine. The buildings use the hillside for a steady 58 degrees Fahrenheit, as in French and Napa Valley wineries. Early sections have barrel vaults and Italianate lintels, while later ones use steel beams and brick arches. Alterations have been few, and the winery has remained in continuous use.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest winery in the Finger Lakes and one of the oldest continuous wine producers in the country, and notes it was Bonded Winery Number One in both the United States and New York State. Architecturally, it is significant for its hillside siting, which gives natural insulation for ageing wine, and for its largely intact, utilitarian stone buildings that reflect changing construction methods over fifty years.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002773, listed November 18, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 88, Rheims |
|---|---|
| County | Steuben County |
| Listed | November 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002773 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1860-1911 |
| Architectural style | Italianate details (pedimented lintels) on utilitarian fieldstone winery buildings |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Continuously used as a winery since 1860; alterations described as minimal, with modern company buildings nearby that are excluded from the nomination. Condition checked as excellent, altered, original site. |
| Acreage | 5.2 |
| Coordinates | 42.40096, -77.25425 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002773.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7204088
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.