Iconic sign for boozers

I read yesterday in the February number of 'drinksbusiness' (db to cognoscenti) that the iconic sign on Route 29 between Oakville and Yountville is becoming something of a problem as so many people stop there for a selfie with it that it is becoming a hazard and might have to be relocated. I read that it was made of carved redwood - it doesn't say whether coastal or giant - and erected on the year of my birth, 1949.

First stop, Google's Street View, to make sure that it is still there, which it is, if rather obscured by a three coacher. Plus small locomotive hidden behind the lorry, unlike suburban trains in the UK which don't have locomotives any more. Maybe 20 miles north of the north end of San Francisco Bay, properly San Pablo Bay, so well within day-tripping distance of San Francisco, not right out in the country somewhere, as I had thought.

Second stop, Microsoft's Copilot, which offers a reasonable response to the prompt 'what can you tell me about the famous sign on highway 29 about napa valley'.

Third and last stop Google's Gemini, which offers a rather better one.

I can't find an official site or a Wikipedia page about it, the nearest being reference 1. But they all seem to tell the same story, so probably the truth. But just to be sure, I poke Gemini again. It seems that there is not much out there for him to go on, so, just like a person, he starts to waffle. However, he does mention the Napa Valley Vintners Association as the driving force. Searching their site at reference 2, does not turn up any iconic sign history, but it does offer me a poster of the sign at $20.

The things one learns from stray magazines.

References

Reference 1: https://www.visitnapavalley.com/blog/post/old-school-napa-valley-a-historic-itinerary/.

Reference 2: https://napavintners.com/. 'As early as 1948 the Napa Valley Vintners welcomed visitors to Napa Valley by sponsoring promotional activities showcasing the wines. For example, 700 Harvard University graduates were hosted by the vintners in 1949 and 2,000 guests from General Electric enjoyed a western-style barbecue with Napa Valley wines at the Napa County Fairgrounds in 1952'.