Regional Styles in California Wine

For many years, the California wines have been closely linked with deep flavors, high alcohol content, more than just a hint of oak and forward fruit. Both, the white and red wines, tend to be slightly sweet in comparison to their European predecessors. However, this never really did bother or affect the California wine trade at all. They have come a long way from a beverage past, largely dominated by wine coolers, coffee and soda pop. Most Californians had not even tasted European wines till recently and were quite happy with their simple, off-dry wines. The California wines are a natural produce of geographical location of the region. On the other hand, the Italian wines are the product of extensive cultivation, both by the public and by the winemakers.

In the world of fine wines and wine connoisseurs, European wines are definitely a class apart. However, these days, California wines have evolved and progressed a lot. There are two major wine producing regions in California, the Central Valley region and the San Francisco Bay coastal region. Some of the best quality grapes are grown in Santa Clara, San Benito Valley, Sonoma and Livermore, with Napa Valley not far behind. Famous for its sweet wines, the San Joaquin Valley is where most of the Californian wines are produced. Affordable and well fermented, the wine traders are consistently introducing newer and finer blends of table wines, at reasonable rates. The reason behind California being so capable of producing excellent quality and high volume wines is the varying climate, throughout the state.

During the 19th century, Gold Rush period, many of the settlers planted grapes together with their other food crops. Once the European settlers made California home, they took the help of the settlers to graft the grapevines. Thus emerged a stronger growth and bond between them, profiting the trade. With the onset of prohibition, winemaking for a profit ceased, with the exception of those who made sacramental wines only. One of the main advantages of being in the California winemaking industry is the accessibility of modern technology that aids the growth of fine grapes. Reverse osmosis and spinning cone columns have taken the place of straining the grape juice through cheesecloth, to get rid of all the impurities.

Many aficionados have been arguing about modern technology causing the ruin of the terroir of traditional wines. Terroir in French means taste of the earth and it basically means that when anyone sips wine for the first time, they should be able to taste and be come a part of the local culture and history of the wine that is blended into a single flavor. Experts claim that technology drains the distinctiveness out of wine and replaces it with a near sterile flavor, resulting in little or no memories of the experience at all.

Technology has certainly created a market for inexpensive, flavored wines. European wines are uncommon, since they focus on a few wine varieties and not on mass production. However, the wines produced are of superior quality and are expensive. The wine industry is indeed flourishing.

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