Stewart became president of the Santa Cruz vintner's society and took over for Mel as the county's local wine inspector. He also wrote articles on California winemaking. Meyer's success was in the longevity of his winery, which survived Prohibition, closing in 1939 when his son died. The wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains started to receive awards and recognition at the international level. Ben Lomond Wine Co., operated by William Coope, and Stewart won prizes at World's Fairs in Paris in 1889, Chicago in 1893 and San Francisco in 1894.
Problems beset the wine industry just as it was seeing success.
Industry leader John Jarvis died in 1892, and a bank foreclosed on two wineries. The survivors were Ben Lomond Wine Co. and Mare Vista. Then in 1899, a terrible forest fire ravaged the Santa Cruz Mountains. It threatened the Mare Vista Winery, which firefighters fought to save. Then the water supply was lost.