Wine History in the United States
Posted: Saturday, September 15, 2007
by Jacqueline Bassi
http://miamihoy.blogspot.com
Century. However, its history has been a beaten and busted one. The first attempts to produce wine in North America occurred in the eastern part of the country, mainly Florida , North and South Carolina . This wine was made of native grapes and the flavor was far from that of European wine. The taste of this wine was so different and unfriendly to the European palette that they started bringing grape vines from Europe to grow in America . The first efforts to start th Nevertheless, the winegrowing efforts continue during the 17 and early 18 Centuries. Vines spread throughout what is now Mexico and the southwest of the United States with the help of Spanish soldiers and missionaries. Growing conditions in the western part of America were much friendlier and the wine production efforts were moved to this part of the America .
Sutter's Mill , which was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter . This discovery is responsible for the transformation of California from a dull and unknown place to a prosperous center of activity. Some 300,000 people came to this region from the rest of the United States . This event also attracted tens of thousands of workers from Latin America , Europe , Australia and Asia . Also, California was admitted as a new estate, as a result, an economic explosion began that increased the demand for wine. This economic boom that California was experiencing also demanded higher quality wines. This newly increased demand for wine greatly helped the fast expansion of the wine industry in California .
A tremendous contribution to the history of California Wine industry was the Hungarian Colonel Agoston Haraszthy, today known as the father of modern viniculture in California . Haraszthy came to California in the 1840s and was very well impressed by the great vineyards growing in California . In 1857, Haraszthy purchased land in California ’s Sonoma Valley , within the Arroyo Seco Creek watershed , and began planting vineyards . By this time, wine production had already fully shifted to this part of California , which was the Northern part of the estate known as Sonoma Valley . The climate over here was great for the growing of vine grapes. Today, the Sonoma Valley is considered the birthplace of wine Industry in America . Haraszthy enthusiasm for wine production made him write a manual on vineyard management and wine making procedures. This manual persistently recommended the experimentation with different grape varieties in different soils and different parts of the state. In 1861, the State Legislature commissioned him to travel to Europe in order to purchase grapevines of every possible variety. He pioneered a number of viticulture experiments and innovation. He introduced about 300 different grape varieties. Unfortunately, not all grape varieties survived because at that time it was difficult to preserve and handle them.
After the battle with phylloxera , the United States wine industry saw an increase in production and quality, mainly due to the arrival of more than 6 million of immigrants coming from Europe . By the beginning of the 1900s Perhaps, one of the worst battles to the American wine industry came from National Prohibition. The 18 Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which implemented the Dry Law , was ratified by thirty-six states in January of 1919. The used of beverage alcohol, other than for medicinal or sacramental purposes, was prohibited by law from January 1920 until 1933. Production of wine was permitted only for use in the home of the winemakers. Although some wineries managed to survive by obtaining permits to make wines used for medicinal, sacramental and non-beverage additive purposes, production dropped and amazing 94 percent from 1919 to 1925 . By the time of Repeal of Prohibition, that took effect in December 5 , 1933 , the wine industry in California was almost eradicated. From 1920 to 1930, the years of prohibition, California grape production drop tremendously. During the 1930s wine production remained low.
A rebirth of the wine Industry came with World War II when table wine was introduced to the American service men and the demands for table wine, once again, started to grow strongly . In 1965 , Robert Mondavi , an Italian descendent of a family dedicated to wine growing for generations, initiated his own winery in Oakville , California . It was the first new large scale winery to be established in the valley since before prohibition. Following the founding of the Mondavi winery, an increasing number of wineries in the valley started to form and operate. This new wave of wine industrial production was flourishing. Wineries were not only worry of production increase, but also of wine quality. Premium quality wine was booming. This changed the reputation of California wines greatly. However, for some reason, the marketing and sale of this new production of high premium wine was not prosperous enough. Wineries were looking to different approaches to increase their wine markets. Frank Schoonmaker , a very known journalist and wine writer of the 1950s , recommended to label wines using varietals ( Pinot Noir , Chardonnay , Riesling ) rather than generic names borrowed from famous European regions like Burgundy , Chablis , Rhine, etc. Robert Mondavi was one of the first to label the majority of his wines by varietals names. He not only adopted this practice, but he also promoted it greatly in California . The 1960s and 1970s were successful times to the California wine industry. U.S. wine consumption increased by about 60 percent. Many premium wineries floured in California by the 1970s. Sales gained 13 percent by 1970 marking 265 million gallons. By this time, wineries were producing already premium and ultra–premium varietals of wine, bottled in .75 liter standard bottles. The success was so great that California was victim of him own success. The mid 1970s were characterized by an overflow of the market. The California wine industry suffered a 25"> The next great moment to the American wine industry was marked by the Paris wine tasting of 1976. By this time, California wineries were producing more than excellent wines, but regardless of all marketing efforts, they were little recognized world wide. May 24 , 1976 , market a glorious day for the California wine industry. A blind tasting organized by Merchant Stephen Spurrier was held in Paris . Very important to the outburst that was coming was the fact that all judges within the panel were French wine experts. To the shock of everyone, three of the top four Chardonnays ranked best by the panel, were California Chardonnays. In addition, the nine judges in the panel also ranked Chateau Montelena , the highest. This was followed by Chalone Vineyard and Spring Mountain Vineyard in the fourth place. Same thing happened with the reds. Another fortuity event that marked a great moment in California wine history is also attributed to fate. In November of 1991, the influential TV News Magazine “60 Minutes", aired a report named “The French Paradox". This report made emphasis on the fact that the French smoked more, ate more fat, but have less heart attacks than Americans, and quoted French scientists as saying that the difference was that the French drank much more red wine. The report was based on an article from Edward Dolnick, which was previously published in a magazine named "In Health" with the same name “The French Paradox" almost a year earlier but somehow unnoticeable. This broadcast gave a boost to the American wine consumption patter. It is said that Americans ran to the stores to buy red wine. By March 1992, E & J Gallo had sold all its reserves of red wine, and was reported to be buying wine in bulk from Bronco Wine Co., then the largest vineyard/land owner in the country. Lambrusco, was one of the largest-selling "red" wines followed by Reunste. These figures, once again, demonstrated Americans preference for sweet and low alcohol wine.
By the beginning of 2001 the United state economic entered a recession, therefore although wine production continue to grow, increases in wine consumption was very low. Additionally, the events of September 11, of this same year, were another negative bang for the California wine industry. Industrial Reports show that California wine consumption grew only 1 percent in 2001. In 2002, wine consumption increased by 6 percent to 245 million 9-liter cases. In 2003, an additional 5 percent leap on wine consumption was reported. Per capita consumption of wine reached 2.98 gallons per adult, the highest level since 1989. However, 2003 was also marked by an oversupply of some grape varietals. This issue, along with the economic slowdown, significantly lowered wine prices in 2003.
Despite the ups and downs mentioned above, many regions of California have been growing wine grapes with a steady success. Clearly examples of this pattern are represented by Santa Barbara and Sonoma counties.
Inside Santa Barbara County , there are three appellations: Santa Maria Valley , Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills . In 2002, the Wine Institute reported about 18,447 acres dedicate to wine grape growing in Santa Barbara . This number doubles the number of acres dedicated to wine grape growing in 1992. Although the region produces a good number of wine varieties, it is well recognized as a fine vineyard for quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Nonetheless, the region is good at producing cool- climate varieties, such as Riesling, and Gewurztraminer. There are now almost 100 wineries in Santa Barbara County . Most of the wineries are small businesses, run by individuals or families. The wine industry in Santa Barbara County grew from nearly nothing in the 1970s to a $ 360 million business by year 2000. More than a million cases of wine are produced annually. The most important aspect of Santa Barbara wines is that they have been recognized as the best in national and international competitions and has been given excellent recognition by wine experts as part of the wine review practice.
Finally, the report prognosticates a favorable outlook for the wine industry. It also points out that wine was named in a recent survey as the most preferred alcoholic beverage by a majority of Americans.
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