Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
7 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Richmond Point Molate

Point Molate

Abandoned landscape once home to "the world's largest winery."

Richmond, California

Added By
Annetta Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Annetta Black / Atlas Obscura User
  Annetta Black / Atlas Obscura User
  MtnLady / Atlas Obscura User
  Annetta Black / Atlas Obscura User
View of Building 1 storage cellar.   Wiki User: Robert Hicks
Winery   schafer704 / Atlas Obscura User
  Annetta Black / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The abandoned landscape of shipwrecks, collapsed docks and fenced off buildings which greet a visitor to Point Molate hide a story of a once bright future envisioned for the area hoped to rival San Francisco and Oakland.

At the turn of the last century, things looked bright for the cove now just to the east of the Richmond-San Rafael bridge. Local papers enthused about the booming businesses and opportunities for ports and piers, and estimated that the population of the tiny town of Point Richmond would reach 400,000 residents.

As it turned out, despite a short boom time, these dreams were never to be.

The boom that did come, came because of wine: In 1906 the California Wine Association fled the destruction of San Francisco and moved to the promising shoreline of Point Molate where they built Winehaven, then known as the "world's largest winery." The red brick castle was built adjacent to land that had been used since 1871 as a Chinese shrimp camp, then still also booming. The construction cost a million dollars and was modeled on the crenelated form of Rhineland castles in Germany. From their dock they shipped out 500,000 gallons of California wine a month bound for the East Coast and Europe. Housing for as many as 400 workers and a magnificent home for the head winemaker overlooked the port.

It all came to an inglorious end with Prohibition in 1919. Winehaven attempted to keep afloat with production of non alcoholic grape juice, but ultimately failed.

Winehaven and all of its support buildings remained empty until 1941, when the area was taken over and converted into a fuel depot by the US Navy, who turned the former home of the winery supervisor into the commanding officer's home.

Since the Navy's departure in 1995 the land has been 90% owned by the City of Richmond, and although it has sat empty and abandoned for nearly twenty years, there are plans to develop the land into a commercial hub and a proposed Indian Casino. The developers and the city claim that the historic buildings will be preserved.

Related Tags

Ghost Towns Wine

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Rachel, schafer704, MtnLady

  • Rachel
  • schafer704
  • MtnLady

Published

June 13, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Molate_Naval_Fuel_Depot
  • http://www.kcrt.com/specialfeatures/ptmolate/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Molate_Beach_Park
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winehaven,_California
  • http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wwIIbayarea/win.htm
  • http://www.pointrichmond.com/pointsanpablo/history.htm
  • http://www.pointrichmond.com/pointsanpablo/pdfs/WinehavenTPITarticle.pdf
  • http://richmondconfidential.org/2009/10/13/before-napa-there-was-winehaven/
Point Molate
Point Molate
Richmond, California, 94801
United States
37.946591, -122.421917

Nearby Places

Winehaven

Richmond, California

miles away

East Brother Light Station Bed & Breakfast

Richmond, California

miles away

Golden State Model Railroad Museum

Richmond, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Richmond

Richmond

California

Places 6
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Winehaven

Richmond, California

miles away

East Brother Light Station Bed & Breakfast

Richmond, California

miles away

Golden State Model Railroad Museum

Richmond, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Richmond

Richmond

California

Places 6
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Mogollon, New Mexico

    Mogollon Ghost Town

    Once a mining boom town, Mogollon’s well-preserved buildings are tucked away in the mountains of the Gila National Forest.

  • Henry VIII’s Wine Cellar.

    London, England

    Henry VIII’s Wine Cellar

    Once part of a magnificent Tudor palace, this wine cellar is a time capsule underneath the Ministry of Defence.

  • Nothing, Arizona

    The Ghost Town of Nothing, Arizona

    Nothing to see here.

  • This “bomb” is really a deep-fried, golf ball-sized globe of mashed potatoes with a minced meat center.

    Barcelona, Spain

    La Cova Fumada

    Behind this unmarked facade lies the original bomba—a crunchy orb of fried mashed potatoes stuffed with minced meat.

  • Pentidattilo was named for the hand-shaped rock on which it sits.

    Pentidattilo, Italy

    Pentidattilo

    A ghost town on the slopes of a hand-shaped rock is haunted by the story of a 17th-century murder.

  • Cabin made of old railroad ties.

    Carlin, Nevada

    Palisade

    Little is left of this formerly bustling railroad junction on the Transcontinental Railroad.

  • Visitors can try all manner of fortified wines here.

    Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal

    Poças

    Sample port and quinine-fortified wine at this fourth-generation winery near Porto.

  • The McMike Mansion offers paranormal tours with a medium.

    Alton, Illinois

    McPike Mansion

    The owners of this Victorian-era estate say it’s still visited by the spirits of long-gone residents.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.