California’s first wine was made in 1782 by two priests in Southern California’s San Juan Capistrano. However, the person most influential in early California wine making was a Hungarian immigrant, Agoston Haraszthy, who founded the Buena Vista Winery near the town of Sonoma in 1857. He is generally credited for moving the center of California wine making from the South to the North. Haraszthy was commissioned by the Governor of California to travel to Europe to procure cuttings and information which would assist in the development of the area’s wine industry. He returned with 100,000 cuttings and volumes of information. He eventually grew the Buena Vista Winery to 6000 acres, one of the largest in the world at the time, before he went bankrupt. The second major impact on California wine making is Phylloxera. This vine eating pest has caused California (and most of the world) to replant its vineyards with more resistant vines. In the short term it appears devastating but in the long run it could be a blessing. It has forced vineyards to replace old vines with higher quality vines. These newer vines helped enhance the quality of wine which culminated in one of the most memorable tastings; a tasting between French and Californian wines. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars took first place in the “Reds” category and Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won the “Whites” category. This event put California on the world wine map and induced people like Baron Philippe de Rothschild to invest in California wineries.

Trends and what to expect

Today the California wine industry seems to be moving at a similar speed to that of the internet. We’re seeing a lot of experimentation with new varietals and themes on old styles of wine. We’re especially excited by the rising quality of California Pinot Noir, a difficult grape to grow. More large companies such as Gallo are beginning to focus on the fine wine aspect of the market and their deep pockets can only help the whole industry. Many winemakers are taking bold steps in experimenting with different grapes and developing new areas with different and specific microclimates, thus presenting you, the consumer, with more varied and higher quality choices to enjoy.