It wasn’t always the situation here in the Golden State. As recent as the mid-1970’s, California was still very unobserved for the quality of its wines being produced. It took British wine merchant Steven Spurrier to challenge US wines and organize the infamous Judgement of Paris in 1976, for California to finally catch its break. A panel of nine French judges blindly tasted Burgundy whites and Bordeaux reds against California chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons. California astonished the world when the results showed Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay and Stag’s Leap’s 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon as the winners. This was the monumental breakthrough that California needed in order to establish itself as one the world’s finest wine regions.
The history of California wines date back to the 1770’s when the Catholic monks first introduced vitis vinifera to the area. The “Mission Grape”, as the monks called it, was the only planting of that time and was primarily produced for religious use.
Years later, it was Hungarian-American Agoston Haraszthy who brought European vines over to California and was nicknamed the “Father of California Viticulture.” During this time, the Gold Rush of California was also heavily influencing the wine industry to increase, introducing Napa and Sonoma counties to the wine world.
After having developed for some years, like many other industries, California wine was significantly depleted by the Prohibition of the 1920’s. It took decades of industry pioneers such as Robert Mondavi, the Gallo brothers, and many others to get California wine back on its feet again.
Over the years, California has been known to produce dozens of different varietals. Of these grapes, this state is best known for its Meritage (Bordeaux) blends, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc (or “Fumé Blanc”). In more recent years with the help of the “Rhone Rangers”, California is also becoming a renowned region for Rhone style blends.
The different wine producing regions of California are spread throughout the lengthy state. Up north is recognized by the AVA’s of Napa Valley, Sonoma, Carneros, and Anderson Valley. The central coast is well represented by the AVA’s of Monterrey County, Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara County. The southern portion of the state is not forgotten and wines are produced in areas such as the Malibu Mountains, Temecula, and San Diego County. The Central Valley makes up the majority of the state’s bulk wine production, while the nearby Sierra Foothills AVA is known to produce some interesting Zinfandels.
There are two major influences that endow the signature qualities to California wines. First, the lengthiness of the fruits’ hang time allows for the grapes to reach maximum ripeness and ensure its complexity. Secondly, the state is one of the industry leaders in high expensed vinification systems that promote meticulous and well-controlled winemaking. With lots of hard work and innovation, California has put itself on the map for providing the world with superior wines.
