When it comes to winemaking in the United States, wine lovers need to give thanks to the Kingdom of Spain and a Franciscan missionary named Father Junipero Serra. This homage dates back to the year 1525 in what is now the state of California. The famed explorer Hernando Cortez was governor of California and it was he who first ordered the planting of vineyards in the colony.

It is an indication of how important wine was to the new colony when the King of Spain banned the planting of replacement vineyards in 1595, fearing that California would produce enough wine that it would not need to import any from Spain. This is where Father Serra became involved. Under the authority of the Catholic Church he planted a vineyard at Mission San Diego in 1769 and later in eight other missions. For this he is known as the "father of California wine."

Today

Today 90 percent of the wine made in the United States comes from California, even though at least 40 states, ranging from North Carolina to Pennsylvania, boast a viable wine industry. The wine regions of California include 12 counties of which the best known is Napa Valley, although the Sonoma Valley also likes to get its name mentioned.

Commercial winemaking in California dates back to the mid-19th century where it developed in a number of places in the fertile agricultural regions around San Francisco. The climate there is often described as "Mediterranean-like" and temperate summers and abundant rainfall makes these regions perfect for "viniculture" as it is called.

World Class

Where the French once turned up their noses at the quality of California wines, those days are over. Thanks in part to the efforts of agricultural scientists at the University of California at Davis, the domestic production has improved markedly since the 1970s. Once the "mission" grape variety cultivated by Father Serra, accounted for most California wines. Now the varieties grown have branched out considerably.

Both the Napa and Sonoma valleys produce first-class wine. Agoston Harazsthy, called the "father of the California wine industry," started a vineyard in the Sonoma Valley in 1855. Charles Krug started the first vineyard in Napa Valley in 1861. These early efforts have greatly expanded to include hundreds of wineries in California today.

contact@winetastingtrips.com