Discovering Wines And Wineries Of California That Are Off The Beaten Path

There is a reason most wine drinkers around the world associate California wine with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot: they are the three most popular varietals grown in California today. In fact, it surprises most people to know that the number one California wine is actually Merlot. Many people know the story of how Chardonnay and Cabernet from California burst on the scene in 1976 and turned the wine world on its ear, but it is Merlot that is the most planted grape in the state. This not a matter of just a few acres here and there, either. California produces so much wine that if it were its own country - which sometimes it seems to think it is - it would be the fourth largest wine producing country in the world. The good thing about being that big means there is room for all kinds of wine, and over the last three decades, that growth has really started to take off.

Like the rest of the spirits and alcohol industry, California wine was decimated by the effects of Prohibition. With only 140 wineries still operating in the state by the time it was repealed, the growth back was slow and focused mostly on sweet, easy to produce table wines. Starting in the 1960's, more adventurous winemakers began to come to the state, drawn by its rich topography and varying regions. They began to focus on producing high quality wines based on the best known varietals from Burgundy and Bordeaux. The success in Paris in 1976 secured this decision and helped to usher in a definitive expectation of the wines and wineries of California. Starting in the late 1980's, however, the next generation of winemakers began to further explore just what California was capable of. Now vineyards began to offer smaller varietals not commonly found in the United States, including Grenache, Malbec, Sangiovese, Viognier, Riesling and Chenin Blanc.

Today, these innovations can be found in many of the small batch wineries that cover the state. Some of these wineries produce only a fraction of what the larger winemakers put out every year, but thanks to changes in regulations when it comes to direct sales and distribution, along with an expansion in the number of people who drink wine on a regular basis, these small wineries all able to not just survive but thrive. Thanks to the warm weather that allows for longer growing seasons in many parts of the state, the wines and wineries of California have been at the forefront of the "New World Wine" movement; fruit forward wines that are higher in alcohol content and favored in Australia, New Zealand and South America as well. Just like it did almost 40 years ago, California wine continues to be the leader in the world of wine.

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