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Wine History and Production - Wine and Geography
American Wines
When the first Europeans came to the New World, they found a land that was virtually covered in grapevines. They soon realised that these vines were nothing like their Old World counterparts and that the wines they produced were poor in quality.
Dissatisfied with the quality of wine produced by the local vines, the colonists attempted to plant Old World vines. Much to their dismay these vines quickly succumbed to the harsh winters. These failures in early American wine making caused settlers to turn to whiskey and hard cider when they felt like a drink.
There were a few wine makers, however, that were determined and in the 1800s Ohio dominated the American wine industry. After the California gold rush, California entered into this picture, but areas suffered setbacks with the Prohibition Movement.
During Prohibition, only wines used for religious sacraments and medicinal purposes were allowed to be produced and sold. This caused grape growers to turn to grapes that shipped well, instead of those that made fine wines. After Prohibition the wine industry slowly recovered from these setbacks.
American Wine's Successes
In the western part of the New World, Spanish settlers discovered that they could successfully cultivate European grapes in the mild California climate.
And thus the wine boom began. There were several key events that led to the success of American wines:
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The travel of wealthy suburbanites to Europe in the late 1950s. |
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The Kennedy administration and its addition of a new sense of internationalism to the United States. |
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In the late 1960s, shows such as Julia Child's cooking program educated Americans about wine. |
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California's defeat of French wines in an international competition in 1976. |
Currently wine is a popular beverage in America and its wine industry continues to grow.
Early California Wines
When people think of California wines in today's world, they undoubtedly picture the lush and affluent regions of Napa Valley and Northern California. This was not always the case in the history of wine production in America's Golden State.
The cultivation of wine in California probably started with the construction of the Spanish missions. These missions produced wine for their sacrament and little else was done with it until the Mexican government seized the missions in 1833.
Perhaps the first businessman to take an active interest in California's wine production was Jean-Loius Vignes of Los Angeles. Vignes brought vines from his native France and planted them on his ranch near the Los Angeles River. His business soared until the Gold Rush moved the focus of California's commerce to the northern part of the state.
Napa Valley soon became equal to nations such as France in the international wine scene and in 1889 won several medals at a competition in Paris, France. California was then launched into the worldwide industry of wine.
The onslaught of the Prohibition movement almost ruined California's vineyards. The only wines permitted for consumption were either medicinal or religious. Drinking wine for social enjoyment was strictly forbidden during this time.
A loophole in the Prohibition law was the fact that people could produce up to 200 gallons of "fruit juice" at home per year.
Since wine was easier to make than whiskey or beer, this caused the demand for grapes to soar nationwide. The few vineyards that remained in business then began to grow grapes that shipped well, instead of focusing on those that made good wines.
After Prohibition ended, the wine industry didn't really begin to recover until the affluent time of the 1950s. American consumers began to drink wine more frequently than before, and they turned to California to find that wine.
This new demand for California wine enabled the industry to develop and regain the world class status that it had started to establish in the late 19th century. Today California wine ranks very high in the world's wine market and California wines are held in high regard by wine makers everywhere.
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