Californie

California has made a fantastic turnaround in a relatively short period and is now placed on a par with the most important wine-growing regions of the world. But the history of California wine is not that long at all, because wine from California was still unknown in the 1970s. There were only 240 winemakers left. But after that, California wine went through very rapid development. In 2000 the area already had 1,450 companies, in 2007 2,867 producers were vinifying wine, now there are about 3,500 companies (sources: Hugh Johnson's Wine Companion 2009, Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2013). And even if the financial crisis would have cornered many winemakers: wine from California has become an integral part of the world of quality wines.

The Golden State encompasses some of the world's most famous wine regions, including Napa Valley, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Monterey, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara within the vast massive Central Coast appellation. Karen MacNeil, the author of The Wine Bible, has written that “California is the Camelot of wine - a place of awe-inspiring beauty and high standards; a wine region where the wealth of possibilities knows no bounds.” With the most diverse range of Terroirs in all 50 states of the USA, just about every variety you can name has been planted somewhere in the California landscape. California's Cabernet Sauvignon may be the state's most recognized grape variety, but it also produces world-class Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Riesling, and Syrah, not to mention major Rhone varietals such as Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache, and Mourvèdre can be found here Californian wine country is located in North San Francisco Bay, with more than 800 wineries along this scenic route. The Bay area includes some of the world's most famous wine regions, including Napa Valley and Sonoma. The success of these famous regions of the Bay Area is largely due to the good soil composition and ideal climatic conditions. Each region is fortunate to have a wide range of temperatures and soil types, allowing the brilliant variety of grapes to thrive here.

From north to south, the major regions are Mendocino, Lake, Napa Valley, Sonoma, Livermore Valley, Lodi, Sierra Foothills, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, Paso Robles, and Santa Barbara. California is a vast region made up of several smaller wine-producing areas. While California is best known for Napa Valley and Sonoma, the other regions of the state produce equally excellent wines. Napa Valley and Paso Robles are known for the bold red wines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, as well as the scenic Wine Route that offers wine lovers unique experiences. On the contrary, Santa Barbara and The Russian River Valley, with conditions more suited to delicate grapes, produce excellent expressions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Each of these regions offers a unique take on California's wines, allowing for a greater expression and experience of what the Golden State has to offer.

Currently, there is an enormously wide range of extremely different wines. From simple Californian wines such as Gallo, which can now be found in almost every supermarket, to extremely expensive Californian luxury wines, such as Harlan Estate. A bottle of this can easily cost 1,800 euros. There are also an amazing number of different grape varieties from California, at least in their country of origin, but in European markets, the old acquaintances from abroad dominate. Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot noir for the reds, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for white wines. Like the Argentinean Malbec, South African Pinotage, and the Chilean carmenère, in California the Zinfandel is considered the original wine from its homeland. The modern history of California wine is closely tied to one name, which has long been almost synonymous with California wine: Robert Mondavi. He pioneered the standard of quality previously absent from California wines. Now, there is a whole collection of excellent Californian wineries.