The complete history of

California wineries

There are evidences that the first vineyard in

California wants to be planted in 1683, but
it could not be developed and was
ultimately abandoned. It was not until 1779
the vineyards actually got developed.

This happened when Father Serra, with the

help of some missionaries, planted
vineyards to produce wines that would be
used only for religious purposes. The
commercial wine industries started in the
mid 19th century.

Even then, most of the industries and

vineyards were in the southern California.
In 1859, the wine industries in Los Angeles
got a significant boost when the lands
being used for planting grapes became taxfree.

The birth of Napa Valley

Today, Napa Valley is famous around the
globe for producing the best quality wine.
But the wine industries came here only
when Abraham Lincoln was president.
Before that, most of the traditional wines of
America were produced in Virginia, New
York, Ohio, etc. In 1836, a man named
George Calvert Yount started planted
vineyards in the northern California.

John Patchett is credited with planting the

first official vineyard here in 1954 and
began producing wine in 1857. Two years
after that he constructed his cellar. The
next year his wine was featured in the first
ever official wine review.

The following years

In the following years, California wineries
flourished and grew beyond expectations.
By 1889, around 150 wineries had started
wine in California. The most popular of
these were Charles Krug, Schramsberg, To
Kalon, Beringer, Simi, Inglenook, etc.

The main problem faced by wine producers

during this period was glass bottles. They
were very expensive and hard to find. It
was very common for the industries to
recycle used bottles.

But soon the problem vanished when a vine

owner, named Charles Kohler, started
producing wine bottles. Later he also
started a wine distribution and export
company with his partner.

The wines of California faced a major setback

when the competitors accused them of
adulteration. This went on for about 20
years. Then the wines became famous
outside the state and no one dared to
question them. By the end of 19th century,
more than 200,000 acres of vines were
planted, which was more than America
could consume.

Overproduction was accompanied by the lack

of demand due to depression. Also, most of
the production was done without
considering quality standards. To solve all
these problems, California Wine Association
was created in 1984.

The start of 20th century

Everything started running smoothly in the
California wineries by 1919. But then the
Volstead Act was passed. This act made
producing and selling alcoholic beverages
illegal.

The owners abandoned most of the wineries

and the vines were left to die. Out of the
2500 wineries in America, less than a 100
were left by 1933.

When the situation was just starting to

improve, the World War II made it worse.
But the new generation of businessmen did
not give up. They continued developing the
wine industry, no matter how bad things
were. Their efforts led the popularity of
California wines that we see today.

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