The Wine Boom!

Winemaking in California has never been anLike a thunderbolt sensational news arrived from
unsupervised industry. The first vines wereEurope. The vineyards of France were dying of
brought to the Pacific shores by Cortez. Whenan unknown disease. California would become the
the ruthless conqueror of Mexico failed to findvineyard of the world. Every ship sailing into the
gold he decided to develop the country as anGolden Gate confirmed the tragic and wonderful
enormous vineyard. He commanded everynews. By 1855 the boom was on. Landowners all
landowner to plant, every year for five years,over the State caught the wine fever. By planting
1,000 vines for every 100 Indians living on his land.a few thousand vines they could become rich,
Years later Spain sent her high priests ofwith a world market waiting. Vineyards sprang up
civilization into the barren wilderness of Baja,all over California. In 1858, bearing vineyards in Los
California, with the understood provision thatAngeles were selling for $1,000 per acre.
wines would be made for sacramental purposesBoom-and then bust!
at their mission outposts.A poor crop in 1859 was followed by an equally
In 1769 Padre Junipero Serra, the belovedpoor harvest in 1860. The State Agricultural
Franciscan, established his first mission in AltaSociety, formed in 1854, recognized that
California-Mission San Diego de Alcala. He broughtsomething must be done to save the young
vine cuttings with him, vines which originally cameindustry. Each year the Society had sent several
from Spain. They were set out around the newof its members, by stagecoach and horseback, to
mission and as they flourished, more cuttingswidespread areas of vine plantings to report back
were planted in San Gabriel where sun and soilon economic and agricultural conditions. The most
proved even more fruitful for the vines. Thesuccessful vintner was a Sonoma vineyardist,
gnarled, twisted trunk of the first vine planted atColonel Agoston Haraszthy. His success with
San Gabriel still bears its annual harvest of Missionforeign grape varieties, such as Carignane, had
grapes. This single species planted along El Caminosent land values in the vicinity of his Buena Vista
Real by the Franciscan priests, by its abundantvineyard from $6 to $135 per acre.
yield, established California as a vine land.Col. Haraszthy's achievement was by no means
The first commercial vineyard was established inaccidental; his entire lifetime had been spent in
Los Angeles in 1824 by one John Chapman whoseeking the right place in America to make fine
set out 4,000 vines. He was followed seven yearswines. In 1847 he planted his first vineyard in
later by an even more enterprising pioneer fromWisconsin shortly after he arrived in this country
France, Louis Vignes. His vineyard, on the site offrom Hungary. Undaunted by failure there he
the present Union Station in Los Angeles, was amoved to San Diego, primarily for his health. He
profitable venture, providing wines and brandiesimported more than a hundred and sixty-five
not only for the young City of Angels but for thedifferent species of grapes from Europe, including
northern ports of Santa Barbara, Monterey, andZinfandel which has now become the most widely
San Francisco.planted grape in California.
The big excitement, one hundred years ago whenDissatisfied with the quality of the wine he could
gold was discovered in California, created such amake there he moved north to the present site
fantastic period of American history that theof Crystal Springs Reservoir, just south of San
grape rush never received much publicity. ItFrancisco. Here he discovered he was too near
followed the gold rush, and quite logically. Everythe sea; his vines suffered from strong winds,
boom town was a market for wine and grapes.fog, and lack of sunshine.
Prices were fabulous. If, many thought, goodHe made a fourth attempt, in Sonoma, after
grapes could be grown in Southern Californiaseeing the flourishing vineyards of General Vallejo
where the wines were coming from; they wouldin that county. With renewed inspiration he
probably do as well elsewhere in the State. Newtransplanted his imported cuttings and set out the
species, such as Chenin Blanc, were imported andBuena Vista Vineyards in Sonoma in 1856.
they flourished equally well.