The state's viticultural history dates back to the 18th century when Spanish missionaries planted the first vineyards to produce wine for Mass.
Following a wine renaissance in the mid-20th century, Californian wine entered the international stage at the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine competition when Californian wines beat out French wines in both red and white wine categories. Today there are more than 1,200 wineries in the state, ranging from small boutique wineries to large corporations like E & J Gallo Winery with distribution across the globe. The state of California was first introduced to Vitis vinifera vines in the 18th century by the Spanish, who planted vineyards with each mission they established. The wine was used for religious sacraments as well as for daily life. The vine cuttings used came from Mexico and were the descendant of the "common black grape" (as it was known) brought to the New World by Hernán Cortés in 1520. The grape's association with the church caused it to become known as the Mission grape, which was to become the dominant grape variety in California until the 20th century. The California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century brought waves of new settlers to the region, increasing the population and local demand for wine. The newly growing wine industry took hold in Northern California around the counties of Sonoma County AVA and Napa. During this period some of California's oldest wineries were founded including Buena Vista Winery, Charles Krug Winery, Inglenook Winery and Schramsberg Vineyard. Chinese immigrants played a prominent role in the developing of the Californian wine industry during this period-building wineries, planting vineyards, digging the underground cellars and harvesting grapes. Some even assisted as winemakers prior to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act which severely affected the Chinese community in favor of encouraging "white labor." By 1890, most of the Chinese were out of the wine industry. California is very geologically diverse region and is equally varied in the range of climates and terroirs that can be found. Most of the state's wine regions are found between the Pacific coast and the Central Valley. The Pacific Oceans and large bays, like San Francisco Bay serve as tempering influences to the wine regions nearby providing cool winds and fog that balance the heat and sunshine. While drought can be a viticultural hazard, most areas of California receive sufficient amounts of rainfall with the annual rainfall of wine regions north of San Francisco between 24-45 inches (615-1150 mm) and the more southern regions receiving 13-20 inches. Winters are mild with little threat of frost damage though springtime frost can be a hazard. To curb the threat of frost, vineyard owners will often employ the use of wind machines, sprinklers and smudge pots to protect the vines.
While California's wine regions can be generally
classified as having a Mediterranean climate, there are also regions with more
continental climates. Proximity to the Pacific or bays as well as unobstructed
access to the cool currents that come off them will dictate the relative coolness
of the wine region. Areas surrounded by mountain barriers, like some parts of
Sonoma and Napa counties will be warmer due to the lack of this cooling influence.
The soil types and landforms of California vary greatly, having been influenced
by the plate tectonics of the North American and Pacific Plates. In some areas
the soils can be so diverse that vineyards will establish blocks of the same vine
variety planted on different soils for purpose of identifying different blending
components. This diversity is one of the reasons why California has so many different
and distinct American Viticultural Areas California has over 427,000 acres (1,730
km2) planted under vines mostly located in a stretch of land covering over 700
miles (1,100 km) from Mendocino County to the southwestern tip of Riverside County.
There are over 107 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), including the well known
Napa, Russian River Valley, Rutherford and Sonoma Valley AVAs. The Central Valley
is California's largest wine region stretching for 300 miles (480 km) from the
Sacramento Valley south to the San Joaquin Valley. This one region produces nearly
75% of all California wine grapes and includes many of California's bulk, box
and jug wine producers like Gallo, Franzia and Bronco Wine Company. The wine regions
of California are often divided into 4 main regions- * North Coast - Includes
most of North Coast, California, north of San Francisco Bay. The large North Coast
AVA covers most of the region. Notable wine regions include Napa Valley and Sonoma
County and the smaller sub AVAs within them. Mendocino and Lake County are also
part of this region.
* Central Coast - Includes most of the Central Coast
of California and the area south and west of San Francisco Bay down to Santa Barbara
County. The large Central Coast AVA covers the region. Notable wine regions in
this area include Santa Clara Valley AVA, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, San Lucas
AVA, Paso Robles AVA, Santa Maria Valley AVA and Santa Ynez Valley.
* South
Coast - Includes portion of Southern California, namely the coastal regions south
of Los Angeles down to the border with Mexico. Notable wine regions in this area
include Temecula Valley AVA, Antelope Valley/Leona Valley AVA, San Pasqual Valley
AVA and Ramona Valley AVA.
* Central Valley - Includes California's Central
Valley and the Sierra Foothills AVA. Notable wine regions in this area include
the Lodi AVA. Over a hundred grape varieties are grown in California including
French, Italian and Spanish wine varietals as well as hybrid grapes and new vitis
vinifera varieties developed at the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.
The seven leading grape varieties are: * Cabernet Sauvignon * Chardonnay * Merlot
* Pinot noir
* Sauvignon blanc * Syrah * Zinfandel
Other important red wine grapes include Barbera, Cabernet franc, Carignane, Grenache, Malbec, Mouvedre, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese. Important white wine varietals include Chenin blanc, French Colombard, Gewürztraminer, Marsanne, Muscat Canelli, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Riesling, Roussane, Sémillon, Trousseau gris, and Viognier.
Up until the late 1980s, the Californian wine industry was dominated by the Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay. Sales began to drop as wine drinkers grew bored with the familiarity of these wines. Groups of winemakers like Rhône Rangers and a new wine wave of Italian winemakers dubbed "Cal-Ital" reinvigorated the industry with new wine styles made from different varietals like Syrah, Viognier, Sangiovese and Pinot grigio. The Santa Cruz based Bonny Doon Vineyard was one of first wineries to actively promote these more obscure grape varieties. The large variety of wine grape also encourages a large variety of wines. California produces wines made in nearly every single known wine style including sparkling, dessert and fortified wines While Californian winemakers increasingly craft wines in more "Old World" or European wine styles, most Californian wines (along with Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina) favor simpler, more fruit dominant New World wines. The reliably warm weather allows many wineries to use very ripe fruit which brings up a more fruit forward rather than earthy or mineralic style of wine. It also creates the opportunity for higher alcohol levels with many Californian wines having over 13.5%. The style of Californian Chardonnay differs greatly from wines like Chablis with Californian winemakers frequently using malolactic fermentation and oak aging to make buttery, full bodied wines. Californian Sauvignon blancs are not as herbaceous as wines from the Loire Valley or New Zealand but do have racy acidity and fresh, floral notes. Some Sauvignon blanc are given time in oak which can dramatically change the profile of the wine. Robert Mondavi first pioneered this style as a Fume blanc which other Californian winemakers have adopted. However, that style is not strictly defined to mean an oak wine. The Wine Country is a region of Northern California in the United States known worldwide as a premium wine-growing region. Viticulture and wine-making have been practiced in the region since the mid-19th century. There are over 400 wineries in the area north of San Francisco, mostly located in the area's valleys, including Napa Valley in Napa County, and the Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Bennett Valley and Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. Wine grapes are also grown at higher elevations, such as Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder AVAs. The region is defined not only in terms of viticulture, but also its ecology, geology, architecture, cuisine, and culture. The majority of the grape harvest, in terms of both area and value, derives from Sonoma County.
Communities associated with the Wine Country include Kenwood, Healdsburg,
Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, Calistoga, Geyserville, Petaluma,
Sebastopol, Guerneville, historic Fort Ross and Ukiah. California Wine Tours are
common, and done in Wine Country normally.
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