The Golden State

The US is the 4th largest wine-producing country in the world and, by some distance, the largest in the New World. Wine is produced in all 50 states, including the arctic Alaska and the pious Utah. Native to North America, vitis labrusca used to be so profuse that when the Vikings reached the northeastern coast in around 1000 A.D., they named the area Vinland (literally: wine land).
Known for the distinctive “foxy” taste of the wine it produces, vitis labrusca was never fully accepted by the European settlers and their descendants. Both attempted to bring cuttings of vitis vinifera from the Old World to the east coast, but most vines did not survive the cold climate and local pests. Elsewhere, the French Huguenot settlers had limited success in subtropical Florida.
With an inherently favourable climate, California was and is the largest and most important wine-producing area in the US, currently accounting for 90% of national production and 60% of all wines consumed nationwide. If it were an independent country, California would still be the 4th largest in the world by production volume – such is the might of the Golden State.
In the 18th century, vitis vinifera was brought by Spanish missionaries from Mexico to California, both being part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain then. They established missions, planted vines and made wine for sacramental use. Yet, it was popular consumption rather than religious use of wine that boosted Californian viticulture. During the Gold Rush, California saw massive immigration from the east and abroad. It is no coincidence that the years 1848-1855 are referred to as the beginning of viticulture in many areas, that California was admitted to the Union in 1850, and that 39 out of 58 counties in California were incorporated during the Gold Rush. For Californian viticulture, however, the following century was forgettable.
It was not as decimated by the phylloxera plague in the 2nd half of the 19th century as it was obliterated by the Prohibition. Advocated by some puritanical Protestants and zealots of the temperance movement, the Prohibition outlawed the production, transport and sale – but not consumption and private possession – of alcohol, mandated under Amendment XVIII to the US Constitution, which came into effect in 1920, but became the only constitutional amendment ever to be repealed in its entirety in 1933. Recovering from the Prohibition, California used to produce inexpensive low-quality port-style wines. Its viticultural renaissance began in 1960s and accelerated in 1970s, often with Robert Mondavi’s winery in Oakville and the Judgement of Paris cited as the iconic moments.
Part of the North Coast region, Mendocino County – named after the Viceroy of New Spain Conde de la Coruña Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza – saw some of the first vineyards planted during the Gold Rush and still has some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in the country. A pioneer in organic viticulture, Mendocino County became the first GMO-free wine-producing county in the US. One of the leading sub-regions within the said county, Anderson Valley is situated in the northernmost of California’s fine wine perimeter, merely 15km away from the Pacific. Amongst the coolest in California, the increasingly respected Anderson Valley is a specialist in Alsatian, Burgundian and Champagne varieties.

To be continued…

Castello di Amorosa Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer Dolcino 2014
A single-varietal Gewurztraminer aged in stainless steel tanks. Luminous citrine with pastel golden reflex, the aromatic nose radiates grapefruit, lychee, rosemary and ginger blossom. Braced by ample acidity, the exuberant palate oozes lemon peel, mirabelle, fresh herbs and musk. Off-dry and medium-full bodied at 13.5%, the approachable palate continues through a tangy mid-palate, leading to a spicy finish.

Castello di Amorosa Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 1% Merlot aged for 21 months in French oak barrels. Reddish black with burgundy-rosewood rim, the scented nose effuses blackberry, boysenberry, sage, dark chocolate, fragrant oak and charcoal. Anchored by copious acidity and sweet tannins, the lush palate emanates bilberry, cassis, clove, cocoa, tobacco and graphite. Full-bodied at 14.5%, the fruit-driven entry carries onto a dense mid-palate, leading to a fleshy finish. Jacky I.F. Cheong

Jacky I.F. Cheong is a legal professional by day and columnist by night. Having spent his formative years in Britain,
France, and Germany, he regularly writes about wine, fine arts, classical music, and politics in several languages