Transformative Endowment Underscores Deal Booth’s Lifelong Commitment to Cultural Heritage—from Global Landmarks to Napa Valley’s Historic Estates
October 30, 2025 (Napa Valley, CA) — Bella Oaks and Wheeler Farms today announced that proprietor and vintner Suzanne Deal Booth, a leading advocate for cultural heritage preservation, has made a landmark $10 million gift to the World Monuments Fund (WMF) to establish the Suzanne Deal Booth Institute for Heritage Preservation. The new Institute will unify WMF’s global training, research, and academic partnerships under one collaborative framework, advancing the protection and revitalization of the world’s cultural landmarks.
Deal Booth’s gift marks a culmination of more than 30 years of collaboration with WMF on global projects and a defining moment in WMF’s 60th-anniversary endowment campaign. The Institute will launch in 2026, building global capacity for conservation and training while developing field schools and academic partnerships to cultivate the next generation of heritage professionals.
“The preservation of cultural heritage has always been my life’s work. It connects people, cultures, and generations, current, past, and future,” said Suzanne Deal Booth. “The Institute represents a legacy of stewardship, a way to ensure that both global and local treasures, from ancient temples to contemporary cultural icons, are protected and celebrated for centuries to come.”
Global Advocate for Preservation, Arts, and Culture
Suzanne Deal Booth has long been committed to the recognition, preservation, and conservation of visual arts and cultural heritage. A native of Texas, Deal Booth graduated from Rice University, later earning a Master of Arts in art history and conservation from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and Conservation Center. As a student at Rice, she had the opportunity to work directly under the tutelage of humanist, art collector, and philanthropist Dominique de Menil. This marked the beginning of a meaningful exposure to sophisticated cultural patronage and has served as an ongoing inspiration throughout Deal Booth’s career and life.
Deal Booth has worked with several notable cultural institutions, including the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Menil Collection (Houston), the American Academy in Rome, and the J. Paul Getty Trust (Los Angeles).
In 1998, Deal Booth founded The Friends of Heritage Preservation (FOHP), a charitable giving group that has contributed to more than 80 preservation and conservation projects in 20 countries worldwide and has collaborated with the WMF on multiple global preservation projects.
In addition, she has served on the Boards of numerous leading museums and arts organizations, including: the American Friends of Centre Pompidou, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Menil Collection (Houston), The Contemporary Austin, Ballroom Marfa, and Atelier Calder (France).
In 2003, she established the Suzanne Deal Booth Rome Prize Fellowship for Historic Preservation and Conservation at the American Academy of Rome, which is awarded annually. In 2016, she created the Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize, which later expanded in conjunction with the FLAG Art Foundation, and is administered by The Contemporary Austin. The prize, a biennial, unrestricted gift of $200,000, is awarded to an artist with the goal of providing a career-transformative opportunity.
Deal Booth holds a deep belief that a “sense of place” has informed every aspect of her work — from her philanthropy to her stewardship of Bella Oaks and Wheeler Farms, two Napa Valley estates that exemplify her ethos of carefully shepherding the past into the future.
Preserving and Reimagining Napa Valley Heritage
At Bella Oaks, Deal Booth has reimagined one of Napa Valley’s most storied vineyards — a site first planted to Cabernet Sauvignon in 1973 by wine pioneers Barney and Belle Rhodes. The Bella Oaks vineyard is legendary, with a legacy for producing some of Napa Valley’s earliest single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. In the 1970s and 80s, the Rhodes home at Bella Oaks was an epicenter for fine dining, entertaining, culture, and social connection; a tradition Deal Booth continues today at the estate.
Since acquiring the Bella Oaks estate in 2010, Deal Booth has overseen a complete replanting and conversion to certified organic farming, employing biodynamic farming practices. To the end of ensuring the estate’s highest potential, she has been working with Winemaker Nigel Kinsman and Master Blender Michel Rolland to craft expressive, site-driven wines that honor Bella Oaks’ more than 50-year legacy.
In 2024, Deal Booth expanded her vision with the acquisition of Wheeler Farms, one of Napa Valley’s most historic and innovative wine estates. Originally founded in 1880, the St. Helena property has been meticulously restored as a working farm, winery, and culinary destination that reflects her passion for hospitality.
A Shared Vision of Stewardship
The Suzanne Deal Booth Institute for Heritage Preservation will extend her philosophy of stewardship by expanding opportunities for cultural preservation education globally through the training and empowering of conservators and students to safeguard the stories and structures that define our shared humanity.
“Suzanne’s leadership exemplifies how individual vision can transform the global preservation landscape,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of the World Monuments Fund. “Her gift ensures that the work of protecting heritage — from ancient monuments to modern cultural landmarks — remains vibrant, inclusive, and enduring.”
About Bella Oaks and Wheeler Farms
Bella Oaks is a historic, organic Napa Valley estate in Rutherford, which implements biodynamic practices, producing limited-production Cabernet Sauvignon that expresses a half-century of heritage. Wheeler Farms, established in 1880 in St. Helena, is a certified organic property that features culinary gardens, orchards, and immersive wine experiences. Together, these estates represent Suzanne Deal Booth’s ongoing dedication to sustainability and stewardship. Between Bella Oaks and Wheeler Farms, Deal Booth owns 44 acres in Rutherford and St. Helena. For more information, please visit www.bellaoaks.com and www.wheelerfarmswine.com.
