The
grape first went to the US with the early immigrants
in the 1600s and it was initially planted in the eastern
seaboard without much success. The Franciscan Father
Junipero Serra planted the first vines in California
in 1769. Though the Spanish culture of that part of
the US led to a lot of wine growing, California had
to wait for another two centuries before making a mark
in the international wine scene.
In
the 50s and the 60s a lot of hobby vineyards sprang
up in the Napa Valley in California and in other neighbouring
areas, which eventually led to the American wine revolution.
The early examples were Stony Hill in Napa Valley, Hanzell
in Sonoma and Robert Mondavi's winery in Rutherford.
All these started becoming well known and lots of new
estates started springing up.
California:
California spotted the potential of the Chardonnay
grape long before Australia and some of the best
wine from here is based on this grape. However it
was Cabernet Sauvignon, which first established
California as a serious wine-producing area. The
best red wines from Napa, Sonoma and Santa Cruz
offer serious competition to the big names from
Bordeaux. California also produces a lot of big
sparkling wines and a lot of big French names have
set up vineyards all over the state as well as the
Western part of the US. The Californian AVAs to
watch out for in the future are Carneros, Howell
Mountain, Russian River and Alexander valley.
Though
close to 90% of the wine produced in the US is from
California, quite a few other States are also emerging
as potentially large producers. Oregon is emerging rapidly
as a major wine center in the US. It is supposed to
be the Pinot Noir capital of the US and is seen as America's
Burgundy. The main region here is the Willamette valley.
The big names are Domaine Drouhin (related to the French
negociant firm Joseph Drouhin), Ponzi, Knutsen Erath,
Sokol Blosser, Willamette Valley and Argyle among others.
In Washington state the Merlot grape is the king.
The
Rhone Rangers: The Rhone Rangers is a non-profit,
educational organization, established to provide
information and understanding of American-grown
Rhone wine grapes and wines produced from those
grapes. As criteria for membership, "Rhone Ranger"
wines must contain 75% traditional Rhone varieties,
as approved by the French government for grapes
grown in the Cote-du-Rhone. Additionally, all
wines must comply with BATF (Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms) regulations for label content.
The
main winegrowing areas, the Yakima and Columbia river
Valleys are fairly inland and hence during the growing
season they get long, hot days and cool nights- a lot
like Bordeaux. This results in a great wine (you'll remember
Merlot is the second grape of Bordeaux). Some good producers
are Columbia Crest, Columbia, Chateau St Michelle, Leonetti
etc. Most people don't really think of the New York state
as anything to do with wine, but it is the second largest
wine producing state in the US. The main areas are around
the Finger Lakes, the Hudson river and the North Fork
of Long.
Disney's
California adventure is one of their newest theme
parks and a welcome addition to it is the Golden
Vine Winery, which is hosted by Robert Mondavi.
You have a choice between walking through a vineyard,
sampling a new vintage or have a wine and food
experience amongst other attractions.
