The Newman's practice of sending large quantities of port to Newfoundland for maturing developed a busy trade between Oporto, St. John's and London. By the 1850's, offices of Newman & Company at Burgeo, Gaultois and Harbour Breton were handling the fish trade, while the St. John's office operated the wine business.

The Newman Wine Vaults, located on the north side of Water Street just west of Springdale Street were most likely constructed in the late eighteenth or very early part of the nineteenth century. The earliest known printed reference to the Newman vaults is from a letter dated November 3, 1845, which reads:

Two other letters from July and August of the following year refer to the Wine Vaults in relation to the "New House" to be built "with the brick against the Wine Cellar". This "New House" is the Newman Building on the corner of Springdale and Water Street, currently home to the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the Arts Council and the Museums Association. This building was most likely constructed between 1847 and 1848, and was designed by a prominent St. John's architect (possibly James Purcell, Patrick Kough, or Gilbert Browning), and was built for the Newman agent in St. John's, Mr. Morey. Later it served as the residence of Mr. Lewis Tessier, a local merchant and member of the legislature for over twenty years.

As it presently stands, the Newman Wine Vaults consists of two large rooms running parallel to Water Street. Stone was used as the basic building material with lime mortar made from seashells. The vaults themselves are constructed of stone and fired red brick. The bricks are tapered to fit the curve of the vaults, with the headers always facing the floor, and are bound with lime mortar, although some cement was used during repairs on the building circa 1947. Each room is slightly over 11' wide, with the vaults reaching an average height of 10'5". The Vaults are currently enclosed by a 20th century structure of rubble stone and hydrostone block.

The Vaults were used by Newman's at least until 1893, possibly as late as 1914. From this point on, they were let to a variety of tenants, including a tobacconist in 1919. The Board of Liquor Control used the Vaults from 1937 to 1957. They were vacated in about 1966.

The historic and architectural importance of the Newman Wine Vaults was recognized when they were acquired by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1972 and made a Provincial Historic Site on August 13, 1974. The Vaults were further designated as a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador on May 10, 1997.

The ongoing development and interpretation of the Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site would not be possible without the generous support and contribution of the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation.