Wine History Part Three - Temecula

As we have reviewed in my previous two blogs (part one, part two)…the history of winemaking in California began with the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769. As the missions advanced northward, vine cuttings were planted at each of the new missions, with some mission sites more successful than others. Among the most successful of the missions was Mission San Gabriel, just east of Los Angeles, whose wines were generally regarded as the finest of all the mission wines. By the early 19th century the California wine industry was concentrated in Southern California, with a number of successful wineries being established in what is today downtown Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, and the Cucamonga Valley. During the 1800’s, Southern California provided most of the wine produced in the state.

My sister and me in 1965

In the 60’s and 70’s, my family would drive through the Temecula area, on our way to Warner’s Hot Springs. At that time, Temecula was farmland, and there wasn’t a major highway through the area. As a small child, it seemed like we drove forever, to get to the hot springs resort, and to visit the local Indians in the area. I have fond memories of the area, before it was ever developed into the wine country area we know today. Let’s take a look at the largest wine region in Southern California: Temecula.

Before becoming a wine region, Temecula’s history goes back over 1,000 years, to its first inhabitants: the Luiseños, named after one of the Spanish Missions. The name “Temecula” actually comes from the Luiseño word, "Temecunga", meaning “place of sun”. The most popular interpretation today, however, is “land where the sun breaks through the mist”. 

Early Temecula, Courtesy San Diego History Center

The more modern history of the area starts in the 1800’s, with the Mexican land grants. The first Americans started moving to the area around 1831.  Then, in 1845, the Temecula Rancho was granted to Felix Valdez by the Mexican Government in an attempt to slow down American settlement. The Luiseños, Mexicans, Americans, as well as the Cahuilla Indian tribe had constant conflict in the area, with the Luiseños eventually being relocated to the Pechanga Indian Reservation in 1885, ten years after they signed a treaty relinquishing the remainder of their land. 

In 1857, Temecula became a stop in the stagecoach lines that were becoming the logistical route of choice in California. A post office was set up in town. Only the second one in the new state of California (the first being in San Francisco).  Settlement increased during the late 1860s as displaced Confederates moved to California in the wake of the Civil War.

Walter Vail's Cattle Ranch

In 1904, Walter Vail arrived in Temecula and bought nearly 90,000 acres in the region. His family would do much to shape the town during the first half of the 20th century. Probably their most famous accomplishment was damming the Temecula River and creating Vail Lake in 1948. (The Vail ranch was later sold to the Kaiser Development Company in 1964, to build the Rancho California housing development – later to become Temecula.)

Because of the region’s isolation, during the 1920s and 1930s, the region took full part in the bootlegging and speakeasies that were common in during Prohibition. The area was mainly used for cattle ranching and the granite rock quarry.

While wine making in the region actually dates back over 200 years, to the Spanish Missions. It took a little over a hundred years before the Temecula Valley saw its first vineyards and wineries. The first vineyards and wineries were established to draw potential home-buyers to the Rancho California area. Modern wine making did not begin until the late 1960's to early 1970's. In the late 1960’s Southern California grape growing and winemaking began a revival in the Temecula Valley with the planting, beginning in 1968, of substantial wine grape acreage.   Vincenzo and Audrey Cilurzo established the first modern commercial vineyard in the Temecula Valley in 1968 , but didn’t produce their own wine until 1978, with their Bella Vista Cilurzo Vineyard label. The first wines from area vineyards were actually produced by Brookside Winery at their Guasti winery. Brookside bought 450 acres in the area to produce grapes as well as purchased grapes from the Cilurzos, as urban sprawl was limiting their vineyards in the Cucamonga Valley. In 1974 the founding of Callaway Winery (by Ely Callaway, of golf fame) marked the beginning of large production winemaking in the Temecula Valley. Callaway, sold the winery in 1981 to Hiram Walker and Sons. John Poole opened Mount Palomar Winery in 1975, and in 1978 the Cilurzos opened another Temecula winery at a new site. Their original vineyard, Temecula's oldest, is now owned by Maurice Carrie Winery. Since then numerous additional wineries have been built, some with restaurants and overnight facilities, including luxury resorts. 

It wasn’t until October 23, 1984, that the area was designated as the “Temecula AVA”. The AVA was given, due to the unique Mediterranean climate (often thought to be too hot to grow good grapes). The morning mist helps keep moisture in the soil without too much rain. Coastal air keeps the temperature down and soil from getting too dry. The decomposing granite soils are a light, sandy loam, which keeps it well drained… ideal for grapevines. On June 18, 2004, the AVA name was changed to "Temecula Valley AVA". As a historical note, this is the only American Viticultural Area to change its name following initial approval.

Temecula Valley is a wine region of rolling hills, with high mountains, reaching to nearly 11,000 feet, forming the backdrop. Vineyard plantings range from 1000 to 2500 feet above sea level, with daytime temperatures moderated by cooling ocean breezes, flowing over the coastal range to the west, through Rainbow Gap and Santa Margarita Gap (two low spots in the coastal range). The region has proven to be diverse in the grape varieties that thrive and produce wines here, ranging from cool-climate grapes such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Chardonnay, through the moderate-climate Bordeaux varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc, to the warmer-climate Mediterranean varieties, including Viognier, Syrah, Grenache, Sangiovese, and Tempranillo. Whether these are the “right” varieties for the region is still a question that is being asked.

When the I-15 Freeway between Los Angeles County and San Diego County was completed, real estate development accelerated even more. The land boom of the 1980’s and the planting of grapes, helped in the decision of the citizens to become a city in 1989. The desire for affordable housing during the 1990’s also helped fuel its growth as well as its growing reputation as a wine region.

The wine industry has grown considerably since then and increasing numbers of Southern Californians are visiting the area. However, many of the wineries still cater to a large local customer base, with summer concerts, and wine pairing/tasting events.

Most wineries are small, and are family-owned. You will often run into the winemaker and/or owner in the tasting room. All produce wines in their own style, some focusing on a very limited number of wines, while others offer a wide range of wines. The wineries of Temecula are, above all else, friendly, welcoming and personable.

Today, Temecula Valley is the largest wine producing area in Southern California. There is a move underway, to expand the wine growing region within the Temecula Valley.  The “Wine Country Community Plan” is currently being discussed with the Planning Commission.  Temecula also faces the challenges of Pierce’s Disease, which is spread by the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter. It is my opinion that Temecula hasn’t yet figured out what type of region it is. Their Mediterranean climate might be best suited for grapes from Southern Italy, Sicily, or Greece, yet they continue to grow Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay with (again, my opinion) average results. Thankfully, many wineries are now experimenting with different international varieties, which could well lead Temecula into being the next exciting AVA in California. Only time will tell.

For a list of wineries, check out the Temecula Valley Wine Growers Association website:  http://www.temeculawines.org/wineries-vineyards/

Wine History - Southern California, Part One

 

Fray Junipero Serra

When anyone mentions “California wine” thoughts immediately wander to the northern part of the state: Napa, Sonoma, or even the Central Coast. But, this is not where the California wine story starts. It all began with a Franciscan monk by the name of Junipero Serra, with the planting of Mission grapes at the San Diego mission in 1769. However, the first written record of grapes grown, in what was to become California, occurred in 1781 at the mission in San Juan Capistrano.  As the string of missions spread from Baja California into Alta California, the Mission at San Gabriel established itself as the largest (170 acres) and most prosperous within the mission system.

Mission Grapevine

The Mission grape is an import from Spain. The Spanish Franciscan priests probably brought the grape to Mexico in the early to mid 1500’s. It is thought that the Mission grape, also known as Criolla, El Paso, and Pais was the first Vitis Vinfera variety to be introduced to the New World.

Based on historical accounts, the wines of the missions were typically sweet, which might make sense, since the Mission grape doesn’t really make good still wine. It is a vigorous variety which contains high sugar levels, but low acid. The grapes also tended to raisinate in the warm weather of Southern California. Only a few wineries still make the traditional wine known as Angelica. 

Angelica is made from the mission grape, and most likely named after the city of Los Angeles. The traditional style is actually fortified grape juice, rather than a fermented wine. These are known as “mistelle”, and are closer to cordials than wine. The process involves adding a high alcohol brandy to unfermented grape juice, in order to arrest any fermentation, and preserve the sugar levels. 

Los Angeles Vineyards - 1850

Up until the 1820’s most vineyards were owned by Mexicans. The first recorded American grower in Southern California was Joseph Chapman. In 1826, he planted 4,000 vines in Los Angeles (which was then a small group of pueblos along the Los Angeles River, with a population of less than 2,000). By the 1830’s Jean Louis Vignes (a Frenchman) planted 35 acres, just east of Los Angeles, including the first recorded plantings of European vines in California. Vignes was later challenged by the vineyards of William Wolfskill (from Kentucky), who developed a 100 acre vineyard just southeast of Los Angeles. By the late 1830’s vineyards had been established east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino, Cucamonga, Guasti, and Rancho Jurupa (now known as Riverside). Of course, the San Gabriel Valley (home of the San Gabriel Mission) continued to prosper, particularly when Benjamin Wilson expanded his land holdings at Santa Anita Rancho.

Pierce's Disease

While grapes had been planted in Northern California prior to the Gold Rush (1849), the south produced much more wine, and exported the bulk of it to San Francisco. It wasn’t until about 1856 that vineyard plantings started booming in the north, to meet demand for growing population.

Meanwhile, back in Southern California the vineyards continued to expand. The community of Anaheim (home of Disneyland) grew out of a plan to recruit disenchanted Germans from the northern gold mining operations. By 1882 there were 50 wineries in Anaheim, but by 1885, a disease passing through the vineyards had eliminated half of the vines. This disease was referred to as “Anaheim Disease” (better known today as Pierce’s Disease, and is still a problem in the Temecula area – and no known cure). By 1891, there were only 14 acres of vines left in Anaheim, the rest being replaced by oranges and walnuts.

San Gabriel Wine Company in the 1880s. Image courtesy of City of Alhambra.

Around the same time as Anaheim’s growth, the San Gabriel Valley continued to expand. The San Gabriel Wine Company opened in 1882. One of the owners (James De Barth Shorb) built a large vineyard house, named “San Marino” which would later become the site of the Huntington Art Gallery. The current site leaves little indication that it was once surrounded by vineyards. Shorb built his winery in  the new town of “Alhambra”. In 1885, this winery was the largest winery in the world. Timing was right for the California wine industry to expand, as European vines were being devastated by phylloxera. By 1890, the San Gabriel Valley vineyards were being hit hard by the same disease that terminated the grape growing in Anaheim. And, by 1896, the San Gabriel Wine Company had gone out of business, many of its vineyards replaced with orange groves.

The decline of wine production in Southern California, in the late 19^th century, was pretty rapid, due to the incurable Pierce’s Disease, and the rapid expansion of wineries in the northern part of the state. Vineyards in the south were replanted with more resilient orange groves. The exception was due east of the San Gabriel Valley, known as the Cucamonga Valley (where Riverside and San Bernardino overlap). The soils in this area are an alluvial soil, with lots of sand…a type of soil that is more pest resistant, and hard to grow anything in (but just right for grape vines). It is here, that Secundo Guasti planted over 6,000 acres of vines, and created the “world’s largest vineyard” in the early 1900’s. 

These vineyards lasted until the expansion of housing tracts in the 1970’s and 1980’s, when the value of the land for homes was worth more than the value of vineyards. Today, less than 800 acres remain in the entire Cucamonga Valley. However, a rich wine culture had been established, and continues today with three founding families continuing to farm some of their original vineyards. Remnants of the old vineyards still have locations that exist today. Many people drive by the intersection of the 210 and 15 freeways. On the north east side of this intersection there is, what looks like, an abandoned head-trained vineyard. These are old vine Zinfandel (planted between 1880 and 1910), tended by the Lopez Ranch. They are dry farmed – no irrigation and left to grow as they will. They are low production vines, but what they do produce is unique to Southern California, with intense aromas and flavors. On the south east corner of this intersection, sits a 12 acre parcel of Palomino grapes (the primary grape used in the production of Sherry). From then to now, the area is known for its’ Zinfandel, Sherry-style and Port-style wines.

By 1919, another “pest” injured the already struggling wine industry…the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Prohibition (the forbidding of all trade in alcoholic beverages) went into effect in 1920. The only wineries that were able to survive, produced sacramental wine, unfermented grape juice, and sold the zinfandel grapes (which were favorites of home winemakers) who were permitted to make up to 200 gallons of wine for ”personal use”. The amendment was repealed in December 1933. But, after 13 years, the damage had been done.

In next week’s blog, I’ll follow up with my visits at two of the three remaining wineries in Cucamonga Valley, including time spent with Don Galleano. 

* For much more detailed information on the wine history of California, I encourage you to read "A History of Wine in America Volume 1 and 2" by Thomas Pinney.