Learning The Secrets Of California Wine
It is hard not to have a preconceived notion of what California wine is all about. Only in the last several years have wines stores even opened up sections on their shelves for domestic wines not from the Golden State, and even today, those other sections only take up a fraction total of what California offers. The flip side is that all those shelves hold a lot more than just the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon that first made California famous.
To put it all into a little bit of perspective, if instead of being a state and it was its own country, California would be the fourth largest wine producing country in the world. With all of those hundreds of thousands of acres, covering a wide array of terroir from low coastal areas constantly swept in fog and moisture to high dry elevation, the thousands of vineyards and wineries that dot the state are able to produce a stunning array of varietals unmatched by any other wine producing nation.
Settlers first started planting grapes and making wine in California for the same reason they had in many other parts of the state: because they wanted a little taste of home. It was only after the repeal of prohibition that winemaking started to become a major industry, but even then, most of the production was focusing on quantity and not quality. Winemakers were producing millions of gallons of what is affectionately called "table wine." Drinkable sure, but nothing like the quality of wine the state is known for today.
That quality started to get produced when people realized how so much of the terrain and environment throughout the state matched other famous wine growing areas in different countries. This is when some of the winemakers started to branch out and focus on making lower production, higher yield wines. Cabernet and Chardonnay were the first they devoted their attention to because of both the similarities in the terroir as well as the hearty nature of these two varietals. They are able to thrive in a variety of climates, so these winemakers understood that they would give them the best chance for success.
As more people have become interested in winemaking over the years and production has become more efficient, winemakers have begun to branch out even further. Today, it is no longer uncommon to discover a small batch winery turning out an exceptional version of Viognier or Sangiovese, wines that for years were only being made in their native countries. By focusing the same level of attention on these varietals as their forefathers did on Chardonnay and Cabernet in the 1960's and 70's, they are continuing to redefine what it means to be a California wine. Now it is easy to understand why a wine store would need to have so much shelf space for one state.
About the Author
Jack Terry is a freelance writer who writes about travel, lifestyle and food and beverage. He has lived in California wine country for several years. http://www.wineclubworld.com
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