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California is considered the biggest producer of domestic wine in the United States, but it was actually one of the last states to adopt a commercial wine industry. Where did the California wineries come from, and how have they evolved over time? Here’s some California wine history that may help you find the best wine websites online. Missional Living Different denominations of Spanish missionaries came to California in the late 1600s up into the 1800s, and throughout that time they were planting the vine and seeing what came of it. Franciscan Spanish missionaries can be credited with planting the first proper vineyard in California that lasted. Later in 1833, European vines were imported to start growing more European-flavored wines in California. A Hungarian soldier and merchant by the name of Agoston Haraszthy successfully cut 165 types of vineyard branches of Europe to plant, and brought them with him to California. The locals were finally cooking with gas. Gold Rush California vineyards probably wouldn’t have had so much a commercial boom around this time without the presence of the gold rush. Thousands of people flocked to the territory, exponentially increasing the demand for all manner of supplies—including wine. The Mischievous American Vine In 1863, the Botanical Gardens of England graciously received a vineyard plant native to America. Unfortunately, these plants carried a disease that can affect all grape vines, one that attacks the root systems and feeds of the leaves, called phylloxera. This pesky disease soon spread across Europe and almost killed the entire grape vine population. It was a disease that American vines, having been wild for much longer, had worked up a resistance to. European wineries had to take advice from Americans about how to manage and treat the disease. It was during this time of European wine crisis that American wines really started to thrive. A few American vintages even won gold medals at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889. Prohibition For all its boom and success, commercial winemaking virtually ceased in California and across the states during Prohibition. It’s not that people stopped drinking alcohol—they just had to resort to attempting to make their own home brews. It was a fatal blow to most wineries, though. Sacramental Exceptions Wine was still considered necessary for the taking of communion to some Americans, and therefore winemaking permits were allotted to sites that made their wines for religious purposes. These vineyards account for the few that remained intact throughout Prohibition. One of these California vineyards was run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Brother Timothy had been a science teacher with them, but took a position as a wine chemist and revolutionized the way wine in California is fermented and stored—and after prohibition they became established as one of the premier winemakers of California. These guys are just a single example of the gambles, changes, and successes that happened after Prohibition to help lead American winemakers into the forefront of wine quality in the world today. In a blind tasting in 1986 conducted by European wine experts, wine vintages from the Napa Valley area were ranked higher than their European counterparts—establishing American wine as a contender in the global market. With this background in California wine history, you’re now ready to shop at the best wine websites you can find!
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