Opening a winery during a pandemic is not an easy thing to do, but Faust Haus is doing just that in St. Helena.
The winery and tasting room is located in a renovated Victorian home that was built in 1878. Aidlin Darling Design, the same architects that restored Scribe Winery's hacienda, headed up the restoration project that converted the home into a winery and tasting room, which took four years.
“Through craftsmanship, creativity and careful consideration of latent character, a historic relic has been transformed into a new home for Faust,” said winery general manager Jen Beloz. “With this transformation in mind, the process of breathing new life into the home and property began with David Darling and his team at Aidlin Darling Design.” The team wanted to rethink how the surrounding spaces could be “re-activated” to create a more relaxing, casual environment—counter to the stereotype of austere and stuffy tasting rooms in Napa Valley.
Aidlin Darling worked with the Faust team to consider the property’s previous history and character while creating modern touches for Faust. The house was structurally upgraded, while the exterior was preserved. “We connected with this notion of moving up from darkness to light—from a place of rich opulence to one of bright simplicity, as analogous to pursuing a state of enlightenment,” said Darling.
The home was built on top of a stone wine cellar, where the original owners, the Rosenbaums, made and stored Riesling and Zinfandel. For Faust, they decided to keep the original purpose of that cellar, which is an uncommon feature for many West Coast homes. One feature that has been restored to its original look is the central winding staircase, which connects the cellar to the top floor of the winery.
