Home California Association of Winegrape Growers | 1121 L Street, Suite 304, Sacramento, CA 95814 | Phone: (916) 379.8995 | Web: cawg.org A cellar rat in Santa Barbara, Stirm flipped a fixer-upper there and, with the profits, was able to move to Santa Cruz and grow his coworking winery, Stirm Wine. The turning point for California wine occurred on May 24, 1976, when California producers entered their wines in a blind tasting, comparing California wines with French. [9][15][16] In 1861 Charles Krug who previously had worked for Agoston Haraszthy and Patchett founded his namesake winery in St. Helena and began making his own wine. The Gold Rush brought an influx of people to Northern California, many of whom arrived and settled in San Francisco (whose population grew from 1,000 to 25,000 between January 1848 and December 1849). [18], The Californian wine industry has had a long history of employing migrant workers to tend to the vineyards and assist at harvest time. The variety he planted, presumably descended from Spain, became known as the Mission grape and dominated California wine production until about 1880. Before 1920, there were more than 2,500 commercial wineries in the United States. Even after Repeal of Prohibition, several states stayed dry: Kansas until 1948, Oklahoma until 1957, and Mississippi until 1966. As home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery, the Sonoma Valley is known as the birthplace of the California wine industry. A spokesperson said that, ‘To have an impact on the grapes, the smoke has to be fresh (less than 24 hours), dense and in close proximity to the grapes. If you’re a wine producer in California and interested in selling on the Danish and/or Scandinavian and European markets, please contact Anja at: anjaclarke@californiawine.dk. However, the native grape species, including Vitis vulpine and Vitis rotundifolia had unfamiliar flavors; therefore, the settlers introduced the European Vitis vinifera. The 1850s saw planting and wine production expand in earnest in many parts of Northern California, including in Santa Clara, Sutter County, Yuba County, Butte County, Trinity County, El Dorado County, Lake County, Napa County, Sonoma County, Merced, and Stockton. California’s wine production is one-third bigger than that of Australia. In 1831, Reyes had the good fortune of becoming the neighbor of newly arrived French cooper and distiller Jean- Louis Vignes who would serve as a mentor to young Reyes.

The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) had a major effect on the geography, economy, and history of wine growing in California. The Christian Brothers had grown grapes since 1882 made wine in Martinez, California. “From what I’ve seen, it all starts in the vineyard,” he says. The wine was initially used for daily use and religious sacraments. When the results were tallied, we ended up with a roster of producers both famous and little-known from a dozen states: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and Michigan — oh, and of course California. In 1779, Franciscan missionaries under the direction of the Spanish Father Junípero Serra planted California's first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Many methods were attempted to eradicate phylloxera but all proved temporary and none economical.

Pages 13-14. A Unified Voice for California Winegrape Growers!

University of California Press. Frank Schoonmaker, a prominent journalist and wine writer of the 1950s and 1960s introduced the German idea of labeling wines using varietal (Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Riesling) rather than semi-generic names borrowed from famous European regions (Burgundy, Chablis, Rhine, etc.). A popular drink was the fortified wine known as Angelica It is unknown if Reyes was the first commercial winemaker in Los Angeles, but he appears to have supported his family solely from his role in producing wine. By 1960, that number had grown to only 271. The science teacher was a fast learner and soon established Christian Brothers as one of the leading brands in the state's budding wine industry; Brother Timothy's smiling face in advertisements and promotional materials became one of the most familiar images for wine consumers across the country.