The Culture of Wine: USA
California—which is almost its own country rather than a state—is the fourth biggest producer of wine in the world. It has a population of 39m people, more than Canada, not that far behind Spain. The quality wine regions have a Mediterranean climate with a strong coastal influence from the Pacific Ocean. Climatically, you could be in the south of France, eastern Spain, South Africa, or Chile.
But you’re definitely in California. Spanish—of the Mexican kind—is widely spoken, and Spanish place names dominate from San Diego all the way up to San Francisco. But the Mexican-Spanish connection is complicated. When the Spanish conquered the Americas in the 1500s, they centred on Mexico and then travelled south to Peru, Chile, and Argentina. North of Mexico was largely ignored until Jesuit missionaries walked along what is now the 101 in the late eighteenth century, building missions at each place they stopped and planting grapes for Mass: that’s why there are so many Spanish place names and why the most important grape was called Mission (País in Chile, Criolla Chica in Argentina).
When they got to San Francisco, they settled on the idyllic location on the bay. But the Jesuits quickly realised that San Francisco does not have a favourable climate for growing crops; as Mark Twain quipped, “There’s no winter colder than a San Francisco summer.” They moved along to Sonoma, the only mission built under direct Mexican rule after independence in 1819.
The architectural and cultural influence of the Jesuits is still apparent, but less so in wine. White Californians rebelled against Mexican rule in 1842, declaring the “Bear Republic” on Sonoma’s plaza, and California formally joined the United States of America in 1848. Coincidentally, 1849 saw the Gold Rush, the first defining moment of mass immigration into California. Immigrants came from Europe, with Italian and German influence on the development on the wine industry most important. California’s ideal Mediterranean climate made the wine industry a central part of the state’s economy and culture—until Prohibition destroyed the industry.
Prohibition still hangs over the US wine industry, despite its repeal 90 years ago. The distribution of wine is dictated state by state, which makes selling and shipping wine a bureaucratic nightmare. On repeal, the wine industry struggled to adapt to a renewed market; instead, the big, consolidated beer companies, who could make their product quickly available, dominated consumption and still do. Whiskey producers also had stock ready to sell.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that the wine industry in California began to gain a foothold, and the 1976 “Judgement of Paris” consolidated its position as a quality producer of wine. But the development of the industry has not been straightforward: wines made in the nineteenth century from Mediterranean varieties have more of a distinct California identity than the international styles from Cabernet, Pinot, and Chardonnay which have made the state so successful. Historic regions stand on the periphery; younger regions have been more innovative and quickly become classic standards.
As California emerged in the 70s, other US states began to develop wine industries: Oregon, Washington, and New York saw their modern wine culture born at the same time. Since then, wine has become more of a central part of US drinking habits, but it’s still relatively small. Average consumption is about 11 litres per head, a quarter of that of France. Sommeliers play an important part in influencing drinking habits, as Americans like to be told what is good and what is not. That leads to a limited personal understanding of wine, and a fear of making the wrong decision—which can lead to a homogeneity in wine styles.
Overall, there is an independent spirit to US culture, based on the absence of frontiers and the perceived sanctity of individual liberty. Paradoxically, that can lead to a draconian, authoritarian uniformity, which can arguably be tasted in the wines. It’s an epic, exciting country, and also a young one, a constant clash of the new and the old.
