California: The WinoTripper's Primer

everything you need to know before you go

Posted by Rich

To have a good time on a wino trip, you don't have to know anything about wine, or the region, for that matter. But if you want a fulfilling winotripping experience, it's good to have a bit of knowledge before you go. We've made it easy for you. Get a load of these California Wine Country fun facts that will have you out-smarting even the most experienced wino's in your group.

First, know that by choosing to visit California Wine Country, you're going to be doing something that is very popular. Over 15 million people visit California's wine country destinations... that's second only to DisneyLand! The wine industry brings $52 billion to California's economy. Compare that to Hollywood's film industry, which brings in a mere $30 billion, (is that all?). And if that wasn't enough, California produces 90% of the wine in the United States.

So what am I trying to say here? That wine is big time in Cali, my friend... so you better recognize!

California's modern wineries began in earnest in the 1940's and 50's, following the end of prohibition. But California didn't really become a world wide force until Robert Mondovi started kickin' ass in the late 1960's and into the 70's. California, unlike their European counterparts, didn't have the restraints of deeply held wine traditions, and therefore went to work using all the modern technology available. California has never looked back.

When I first began visiting Napa in the early 1990's, there were about 900 wineries in all of California, (up from 232 in the year 1965). Now there are more than 2,000 wineries! That's more than twice as many wineries in a matter of ten or fifteen years.





Alert other winos:




Dig this? Then you'll love The Vine blog, other Wino articles, our winery tripping guide

WinoTripping = Wine minus Snoot

Comments & Discussion:
Posted by saharalv on Tuesday, 5th January 2010 - 6:08 pm

Thank you for the info.
Nice book. I had to read it for my first job out here in NY, even though I worked in a winery in Southern California for 3 years and thought that I was pretty hip on it all.
My how times have changed. I remember when all anyone wanted was a buttery Chard, the more malo-lactic fermentation the better! Now, it's all no-oak (that's fine with me).
At this point, I am partial to the Central Coast. There is NOTHING like a Paso Zin. In fact, all wines in Paso have a terroir that is unmistakable.
More north I remember having a great time at the Geyser Peak winery. The employee took me and a friend upstairs to their VIP room and let us taste the VIP goods. Great memory.
I haven't yet been to Napa, cannot wait to go when we return to California.
Again, thanks for the info. Keep doing what you're doing, please.