- Father Junipero Serra
In 1779, Father Junipero Serra led a group of missionaries who planted vineyards for use in all 9 of the Missions he founded. The fields were made up of a variety of grapes and, therefore, became known as Mission grapes. Of course, since the product of the Mission grapes were used by the Church, they were solely used for religious purposes. It was not until years later when Abraham Lincoln was President that wine was commercially cultivated.
Two of the most famous California wine locations are Napa Valley and Sonoma County,
Korbel Brothers
also known as “wine country.” George Calvert Yount was the first to plant the vines, but John Patchett is credited for the first actual vineyard and winery in Napa Valley. First first production in 1857, just three years after he started. It is said, however, that Sonoma County is actually the birthplace of the California wine industry. The Korbel brothers, known for their champagne, began in Sonoma County in the 1880’s.
The early years of commercially producing wine was fairly difficult and exceedingly expensive. The cost of the glass bottles alone ranged from .10 to .20 cents per bottle. Often times, bottles were reused to help with production costs. The cost per gallon of wine, as it was typically sold by the gallon, averaged between .25 cents per gallon and $2.00 per gallon.