Key people of the Californian wine industry

Question 1

Name 7 people who have been influential in the Californian Wine Industry.

Answer 1

1. Father Junipero Serra
2. Jean-Lous Vignes
3. Count Agoston Haraszthy
4. George Latour
5. Andre Tchelistcheff
6. Frank Schoonmaker
7. Robert Mondavi

Question 2

Father Junipero Serra.

Answer 2

1769.
Established a mission in Southern California and planted Mission Grapes.
Lead to 21 Missions doing the same.

Question 3

Jean-Lous Vignes

Answer 3

1830 from Bordeaux.
Imported European vines.
First to export wine to Europe.

Question 4

Count Agoston Haraszthy

Answer 4

Hungarian.
Started Buena Vista in 1856.
Brought many European cuttings to California.
Became first significant vineyard in California and the largest vineyard in the world.

Question 5

George Latour

Answer 5

French
1900 founded Beaulieu in Napa.
First to concentrate on Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Question 6

Andre Tchelistcheff

Answer 6

Russian born, French educated oenologist.
“The Founding Father” of the modern Californian wine industry.
Brought to California by George Latour.
Introduced cellar hygiene, temperature controlled fermentation, mastering of malolactic fermentation, preventing frost damage.
Consulted on Haraszthy’s Buena Vista in Sonoma and in Italy.
Trained other wine makers including the Mondavi brothers.

Question 7

Frank Schoonmaker

Answer 7

New York wine writer and importer.
Introduced varietal labelling.
Encouraged the American wine industry to break the French-style labelling.

Question 8

Steven Spurrier

Answer 8

Organised the Franco-Californian blind tasting in Paris on 26 May 1976 to comemorate the US bicentenial. I
Now referred to as “The Jugment of Paris”.

Question 9

Robert Mondavi

Answer 9

Trained by Tcheistcheff.
Opened the first new winery in the Napa Valley after the 1933 repeal of prohibition.
Quality conscious.
Competed directly with the great wines of France.
Aggressively promoted labeling wines by variety rather than generically.

Question 10

Who was dubbed the “father of California wine” and what winery did he found?

Answer 10

Argostan Haraszthy. Buena Vista Winery.

Question 11

Describe the Pinots of Oregon as compared to the Côte d’Or and California?

Answer 11

Lighter in style and earthier than California, riper and more forward than Burgundy. The mild, temperate, rainy climate of the valley invites further comparisons to the Burgundy, and vintages are more variable than in Sonoma or Santa Barbara.

Question 12

What is the dominant grape of Monterey county?

Answer 12

Chardonnay- accounting for over 50% of plantings.

Question 13

Which champagne house based their US operation in Anderson Valley?

Answer 13

Louis Roederer

Question 14

Which AVA in Mendocino boasts one of the coolest climates in California?

Answer 14

Anderson Valley

Question 15

Where are Mendocino’s best wine producing areas centered?

Answer 15

At the confluence of the Russian and Navarro rivers.

Question 16

What is the newest AVA in Sonoma County?

Answer 16

Moon Mountain District Sonoma County (est 2013)

Question 17

what happened in Sonoma in 2011?

Answer 17

In Sonoma, all wines produced in the county are required to state “Sonoma County” on the label, regardless of whether or not the label also indicates an AVA.

Question 18

What two areas of Sonoma AVA are known for Zinfandel?

Answer 18

Dry Creek Valley and the small Rockpile AVA

Question 19

What is the warmest AVA in Sonoma County?

Answer 19

Knights Valley

Question 20

What are the soils of Sonoma?

Answer 20

Fertile alluvial soils, such as “Goldridge” sandy loam, characterize the valley.

Question 21

Which AVA for Napa represents a more supple style of Cabernet?

Answer 21

Rutherford AVA (valley floor style)

Question 22

What are the soils of the Napa Valley?

Answer 22

volcanic, alluvial and maritime soil types, ranging from well-drained gravel loam to dense clays to the thin, rocky soils of the hillside vineyards.

Question 23

What grape is Zinfandel linked to for descent?

Answer 23

Croatia’s Crljenak Kastelanski

Question 24

What does Meritage mean?

Answer 24

“Meritage”, a term trademarked by the Meritage Alliance, is used by producers to indicate a premium blend in which no grape accounts for more than 90% of the wine. Meritage wines may be red or white, but must be produced from Bordeaux varietals

Question 25

What is Washington State’s Largest and what is it’s smallest AVAs?

Answer 25

Columbia Valley AVA, Red Mountain AVA

Question 26

explain how Napa gets cooled.

Answer 26

Cool ocean air funnels through the Petaluma Gap into the San Pablo. Bay and upward through the Napa Valley.

Question 27

What is the largest and most important AVA in the Central Valley?

Answer 27

Lodi.

Home to large, value oriented brands as well as boutique wineries, may of whom specialize in Old-Vine Zinfandel.