Thursday, February 7, 2008

History of California Wine

The U.S state of California is accountable for almost ninety percent of American wine production and is almost three quarters the size of France, meaning that if the state was a country by itself, it would be the worlds fourth largest wine producer.

The history of California wine dates back to as far as the 18th Century when vines were planted by the Spanish to produce the wine needed for Mass. It was also needed for daily life, and to generate an income. It was the grapes use in the celebration of Mass that caused it to be called the "Mission Grape" and this grape became the most predominant one used in California up until the nineteenth century.

The local demand for wine was dramatically increased during the 19th Century, when the California Gold Rush occurred. New settlers came to the area increasing the population and the popularity of drinking wine. It was during this time that some of California's oldest vineyards were founded. Up until 1980, when the Chinese Exclusion Act came about, it was the Chinese that helped to develop the wine industry. They were used to maintain the vineyards, digging the underground cellars and also harvesting the grapes to make the wine. There were even a few of them that were assisting in the wine making process.

It was the mid twentieth century that California was first recognized as an award winning wine making region when it beat the French in both red and white categories in the Judgment of Paris wine competition, and it is because of that and the turnaround that was brought about in the late 1980's that made the region what it is today. In the 1980's, people were getting bored with the Bordeaux and Chardonnay types of wine that California kept producing and to ensure interest wasn't lost, new varieties were planted, such as Pinot Grigio and Syrah.

These days, there are more than 60,000 wine labels registered in California, producing wine that covers every style - sparkling wines, dessert wines and also fortified wines. There are four main regions wine making regions: North Coast, North Central Coast, South Central Coast and San Joaquin Valley. Although Napa and Sonoma are the most well known names, they only produce about 15% of California wines.

The wine industry has a larger impact on California economy than even Hollywood does, with $45 billion being in injected into the economy each year, compared to just $30 billion for the film industry.

No comments: