Another Great Wine History Article

California Wine

In the United States, California accounts for the largest share of wine producers, including Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Monterey, Paso Robles, and Santa Ynez. Of these, Napa Valley is the most popular wine region.

California's coastal winemaking regions are blessed with generally pleasant weather, fewer tourists than in summer, and subtle shades of gold and orange creeping over the vineyards as vines go dormant for the winter.

Among the wines produced under the California wine Label are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, assorted reds and Cabernet Sauvignon. California wine is often pitted against its French counterparts.

Wine Cultivation has grown in the U.S. during the last sixty years. In the 1850s, the production amounted to a little more than a million in gallon. At present, the production will not fall short of fifty million gallons. But this does not mean that European wines will be displaced very soon, since the characteristics of delicacy and breed they have in their reputation cannot be simply replaced. California wines have introduced the latest scientific methods in vine and wine making,

High temperatures that prevail in some parts of California were equalized with a cooling system that was first employed in Algeria. The cooling system is basically

a series of pipes that circulates iced water through the vines. Pure culture yeast that is derived from many of the European vineyards has also contributed to improving the quality of California wine.

The shift in Chardonnay styles that began a couple of years ago is accelerating, and more and more wineries are choosing to make tighter, livelier wines whose brisk acids separate them from the fuller, fleshier style that has ruled for some years now. Not to worry though, California will always make deep Chardonnays because that is what the grapes give the wineries.

In the U.S. and abroad, California winery sales totaled about 437 million gallons in 1998, up three percent over 1997. Consumers in the U.S. purchased most of this volume as California wineries shipped 388 million gallons nationwide for a seventy-three percent share of the U.S. wine market, or roughly three out of every four bottles consumed in America. The estimated retail value of the state's winery shipments to the U.S. was $12 billion, up five percent from the previous year.

Serge Renaud set off a California wine boom in 1991, when he outlined his French-paradox theory in an interview on CBS' 60 Minutes.

A Short Wine History Summary

California Wine


In the United States, California accounts for the largest share of wine producers, including Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Monterey, Paso Robles, and Sa...


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Wine History in the news

Wine Testing Tubes - on The Food Channel

Tue, 06 May 2008 12:46:26 PDT
Now restaurants can offer a wine sample without opening a bottle. And probably charge for it.... great way to promote wine sales without dirtying a glass. Screw top glass tubes with both sweet and classic wines ready to drink. Completely new thinking in the wine and restaurant business. Hats off to the vintners, bottlers, retailers...

Chinese Food, Wine And The Perfect Pairing

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:04:32 PDT
There are a few wines that work well paired with Chinese food. They are a medium-dry to lightly sweet Riesling, a Chardonnay not too oaky or dry, and a mild, full-bodied Merlot with the right acidity.

Banyuls Wine & Maury Wine - Delicious and unique AOC wines

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:35:05 PDT
A sleepy fishing village that was made famous by Picasso and Matisse is home to the delicious Banyuls sweet wine. A bit further down the road in the village of Maury are the vineyards of Mas Amiel. One of the top independent producers in this region.

The ultimate frugal gourmet: the 99 cent chef

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:35:10 PDT
Who is this Billy Vasquez, who prowls the aisles of 99¢ Only stores for ingredients to make ribeye steak in a red wine reduction with mushrooms, Armenian salad, and poblano chiles stuffed with raisins and other yummy things? ("A poblano chile imparts a mild heat that sweet raisins undercut nicely," he purrs.)

Must Love Wine | Pairing Food With White Wine (Soft Whites)

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:36:31 PDT
Soft white wines are floral, honeyed and highlighted by pleasing acidity while ranging from dry to slightly sweet. They are a good match for varied foods including hard to pair Asian foods. The most notable soft white wines come from cooler climates where the grapes gain more acidity on the vine.

Must Love Wine | Pairing Food With Sweet Wines

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:33:59 PDT
There are two methods to making sweet wines. Those that are naturally sweet (like late harvest chardonnays) and those that are fortified (like port & sherry) to make them sweeter. They are fragrant, syrupy and have an array of complex flavors. Balanced with a lively acidity they are a good end to any meal.


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