When we at the Ideal Wine Company think of the great US state of California, what do we usually think of? The first things that usually come to mind are the twinkling of the Hollywood lights, the cool breeze of the southern surf and glamour in every direction. However, California is one of the most populated states in America and is a giant in industry. With production on the rise in the state, wine making made the travel over from Europe a long time ago, along with the first Spanish coloniser’s centuries ago, and today California is garnering a strong reputation for the many quality wines that it produces and sells on the market.
California is actually responsible for around 90% of American Wine, and its hot climate and fertile land make it the perfect region to produce our favourite drink. The state’s wine growing culture actually dates all the way back to the 18th Century, when Spanish missionaries planted the first vineyards, with vines that originated from neighbouring Spanish colony Mexico, in the region to produce wine for the sacrament that makes up a critical element of the Catholic Mass. The state has since grown to dominate American wine, with the influx of settlers who came to the region during the California gold rush, and although it took a big hit during the prohibition era, California wine survived to become a mainstay on the wine scene in the 21st Century.
This large state, actually around three quarters the size of France, has developed several wine growing regions over the course of the last few centuries that have come to produce quality product and the state actually has 427,000 of planted acres of vines mostly covering a stretch of land measuring 700 miles. The North Coast Region is perhaps the most famous, playing host to such famous areas of wine production as Napa Valley and Sonoma County. The Central Coast, a large stretch of land south and west of San Francisco Bay, is another popular wine producing region with notable wine producing areas as Santa Clara Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains and Paso Robles. Yet another popular area of wine production in California is the South Coast, which covers the area south of Los Angeles down to the Mexican border and includes popular regions of production such as Tecuma Valley and San Pasqual Valley.
Consequently there are many popular wines produced in California, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Zinfandel, that have rocked the world of wine production and firmly put California on the wine enthusiasts map. Featuring every type of wine from deep red to sweet dessert, California is probably the most versatile wine producing region in the world. When it comes to wine, the future really is bright for California and as it moves away from producing European wine and gets a little more experimental, we think California well deserves its reputation.
