History Timeline
Follow the story of Adam Puchta Winery from its early family roots to its place today as America’s oldest continuously family-owned farm winery. From Bavaria to Hermann, from the Gold Rush to Prohibition and beyond, this is a legacy still being lived. The current Story page identifies the winery as founded in 1855 and continuously owned by the Puchta family for seven generations.
A Legacy That Continues to Grow
Adam Puchta Winery is more than a historic name in Hermann. It is a living family legacy shaped by perseverance, hard work, and generations of winemaking tradition. This timeline highlights the people, milestones, and turning points that helped shape one of the most enduring winery stories in the country. The client also wants the site to help reinforce Missouri as a meaningful wine destination with deep roots, not just a footnote in American wine history.
1802 - Johann Heinrich Puchta is Born
b. Jan. 8, 1802
Immigrated from Germany 1839
Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather
1812 - Maria Barbara Schad is Born
b. Nov. 12, 1812
Immigrated from Germany 1839
Great, Great, Great, Great Grandmother
1830 - Johann Adam Puchta is Born
b. Dec. 27, 1830
d. June 12, 1905
Great, Great, Great Grandfather
1838 - Bertha Riefenstahl is Born
b. Mar. 9, 1838
d. June 5, 1905
Great, Great, Great Grandmother
1839 - The Puchta Family Comes to America
Adam immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1839 with his parents and siblings. His father, John Henry Puchta, a Bavarian winemaker and butcher, settled the family in the Frene Creek Valley near Hermann, where land was purchased for growing grapes.
1841 - Early Family Home
1850- Wine Cellar / Early Winery Property
1855 - Adam Puchta Winery Begins
1861 - Henry John Puchta is Born
b. Apr. 4, 1861
d. Nov. 1, 1929
Great, Great Grandfather
1873 - Amanda Albertine Buddemeyer is Born
b. Jan. 24, 1873
d. Apr. 30, 1957
Great, Great Grandmother
1890 - Brick House / Family Property
1900 - Everett Adam Puchta is Born
b. Oct. 18, 1900
d. July 27, 1988
Great Grandfather
1900 - Marie Katherine Bauer is Born
b. Oct. 15, 1900
d. Nov. 7, 1980
Great Grandmother
1919 - Prohibition Forces the Winery to Close
With the arrival of Prohibition in 1919, the winery was ordered to close under the Volstead Act. The family continued making the allowed 200 gallons for family use and turned its energy to farming.
1928 - Randolph Everett Puchta is Born
b. May 31, 1928
Grandfather
1936 - Eunice Marie Rehling is Born
b. Mar. 19, 1936
d. April 11, 1995
Grandmother
1956 - Timothy John Puchta is Born
b. Dec. 1, 1956
Father
1965 - Viki Jo Walkenbach is Born
b. Aug. 5, 1965
Mother
1989 - Winery Legacy Continues
Puchtas begin rebuilding the winery
1990 - Vineyard is replanted
1990 - Spencer Randolph Puchta is born
b. April 19, 1990
Son
1992 - Parker Wesley Puchta is born
b. Dec. 10, 1992
Son
2021 - 8th Generation Pucta is born
b. May 20, 2021