Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Circulating Agroecology
Growing Grapes
Franciscan Friars brought European grapevines to California. Junipero
Serra apparently planted them at the San Diego mission in 1769, and the
Friars carried cuttings up along El Camino Real as far north as Sonoma
to plant vineyards for fresh grapes and winemaking. The Mission vari-
etal is a hardy vine: its fruit has high sugar content but lacks flavors and
color. The Franciscans were either lucky or clever because the Mission
yields a good eating grape, a passable raisin, and a juice that can be made
into (sweet) wine.
Grapevines are malleable plants. During California's Mexican period,
Los Angeles grape growers began to ship fresh table grapes to Northern
California, and this increased dramatically during the Gold Rush. The
Davis-area growers R. B. Blowers and G. G. Briggs were the first to plant
the Emperor varietal for table grapes. They were the first to pack grapes
on trains to ship them to the eastern states in 1869, creating demand
for transcontinental ice-cooled refrigerator railcars. Growers around
the state began planting dedicated varietals for raisin production in
the 1860s and the 1870s. Raisin production eventually settled in to the
Fresno area because it offers the ideal climatic conditions: grapes grow
well there, and its dependably rain-free Septembers dry them in the field.
This region now hosts the greatest concentration of raisin production in
the world.
One Gold Rush-era entrepreneur in particular recognized that
California's varied landscapes could support a diversity of grape vari-
etals, and resulting fine wines. Colonel Agoston Haraszthy emigrated
from Hungary and was the leading promoter of viticulture in this state
