Monday 14 September 2015

History of Winemaking in California

Wine in California is produced in an area almost three-fourths the size of France. Almost 90% of wine produced in the United States comes from California. Wine production in California is one-third larger than the wine produced in Australia, and if California were to be a separate country, it would be the fourth largest wine producer in the world.
David Gianulias
David Gianulias

The history of winemaking in California date back to the 18th century. Spanish missionaries in California planted vineyards to produce wine for mass. The Spanish missionaries planted vineyards in every mission they established in the state. They used wine for religious purposes as well as for daily life. They use vine cuttings from Mexico, popularly known as the “common black grape” that was introduced by Hernan Cortes to the New World in 1520. Since this grape was used by the church to make wine, it was called “Mission grape”. Common black grape or mission grape became the dominant variety of grape for winemaking in
California until the advent of the 20th century.

Today winemaking is huge in California with over 1,200 wineries in the state. California has several small boutique wineries and large corporations like E&J Gallo Winery, who export their wine around the globe. The state of California is geologically diverse, and most of the wineries are located between the Central Valley and the Pacific coast. The San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean provide cool winds and fog that help balance the hot climate making the area suitable for growing grapes. The state has over 427,000 acres that are used for vineyards. Napa Valley, Rutherford, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Valley are some of the areas known for their wine production.

David Gianulias is the founder of Levendi Winery. The wines produced by Levendi Winery have received 94, 93 and 92 ratings.