The GN Man posted:I believe Stu is correct. The Chateau Martin brand of wines (from California) no longer exists.
Here is a link to Jim Lancaster's page with abundant information regarding the Chateau Martin rail car fleet. IIRC, Atlas was doing a custom Chateau Martin reefer for O Scale West several years ago but it got cancelled.
Interesting history behind the Chateau Martin (California) brand. Apparently Canandaigua Wine, the eventual owner, let the name drop. My guess is that there were trade name legal problems, given that Chateau Martin is a fairly well-known winemaker in the Bordeaux region of France, so the parent company of the California winery had to stop using the name. Atlas O's cancellation of a new Chateau Martin reefer may have been related to these trade name issues, and inability to get rights from the French company, but that's only speculaton.
"In 1933, after Prohibition ended, Martin Lefcourt established Lefcourt Wine Co., later Eastern Wine.
The company purchased American wines from wine-growers and blended them to make their own
brand, which they sold as Chateau Martin. The "Chateau" part was to imply a quality French wine,
while the "Martin" part came from Lefcourt's first name.
"The Chateau Martin brand was owned by Eastern Wine Corporation of New York. The winery was in Waterford, CA
on the SP Oakdale Branch and bulk wine was shipped in Chateau Martin cars from Waterford to the Bronx.
The wine was bottled in New York. In 1972 Eastern Wine Company and its famous wine label were purchased by Canandaigua Industries. On December 4, 1972, Canandaigua Industries changed its name to Canandaigua Wine Company."
