Several vineyards were planted in the 1850's and 1860's. In 1859, A.B. Roberts imported more than eighty varieties of grapes from Europe through one of his French nursery workers as well as varieties from French Canadians living in the Willamette Valley. In 1876, Frank Orselli, an Italian from Lucca, Italy stationed at Fort Walla Walla, opened what may have been the area's first commercial winery producing 1000 cases of wine.