Wines of California

by SALVATORE P. LUCIA

THOSE of us who look forward to leisure and ceremony at the end of an arduous day, and choose dinnertime as the period of relaxation, enjoy the part which wine plays in this ritual. The tempo of living is too quick and the length of life too short for us not to observe a respite in an overburdened day. More than the ceremony which a glass of crystalclear, sound wine brings to this important hour is the fact that wine is a nutrient and a partner to bread; bread and wine are the foundations of a civilized palate. My plea is for a glass of simple, honest wine with ordinary meals, and for a line premium wine on festive occasions. Wines of these classes grown and produced on native soil are available to us, and the promise is that with greater distribution they will cost less, and thus be within reach of the leanest of purses.

The controversy concerning the relative merits of California wines and French wines has always seemed idle to me. Premium wines constitute less than 5 per cent of the French total wine production, and superior wines make up another 10 per cent.

I believe that it is unfair to compare California wine with French premium wines; however, the fine California products are equal to the French superior wines.

The vinous results of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in French earth and grow n in our soil differ markedly. In California this grape produces a vigorous, florid, and coarse wine, which needs artful handling and prolonged aging to create the beautiful, rich, suave, and elegant product it can be. On the other hand, the Pinot Noir, the greatest of the French grapes, and the one responsible for the magnificent wines of Burgundy, produces in California a pallid, delicate, and weakly flavored wine. California wines will never be French wines; neither will a Chamberlin be a Romanée-Conti, nor a Château Cheval Blanc ever be a Château Latour. Illustrative of these features is the case of the Zinfandel, which produces an unusually good wine in Sonoma. Colonel Haraszthy brought the Zinfandel to Sonoma County in 1852 and it was one of the earliest European grapes to be extensively cultivated in California. When it is grown on the slopes of Sonoma County, it produces an attractive, brilliant, clear wine of florid bouquet, moderately heavy body, and excellent flavor. Its main characteristic is a pleasant, sweet foretaste. The wine of the Zinfandel is singularly Californian, and a good Zinfandel can be unusually crisp and delightful if it has not lain too long in the barrel and is drunk relatively young.

Let us judge California wines on their own merits. The ordinary California table wines are equal or superior to their counterparts produced elsewhere in the world. In the recent past a French training ship visited the port of San Francisco. Its supply of vin ordinaire for the daily consumption of the sailors had been exhausted en route, and the purchasing officer set out to replenish his stores with California wine. He bought a large quantity of competitive wine, not particularly celebrated for its quality. The French sailors were enthusiastic over the new wine ration —it was far better than the vin ordinaire with which they were usually supplied.

As I see it, there are two major problems confronting the producers of California wine: first, the production for everyday consumption of a sound, honest table wine, uniform in color and flavor, and of low alcohol content, available at a reasonable price, perhaps in half-gallon or gallon jugs; and second, the production of fine varietal premium wines identifiable by the region of provenance, the year of the vintage, and the name of the producer as essential elements of the label, and in addition characterized by full display of the best features of the grape rendered into the wine. No other garniture is necessary on such a bottle. The person in quest, of fine California wine could then be his own selector.

There is no doubt that the American is primarily a drinker of hard liquor, and that in the present stage of our development the abominable cocktail — that anesthetic agent of the palate — holds sway. But with the disappearance of the rugged pioneers and the aging of our population, and the increasing longevity, Americans are acquiring time for reflection, contemplation, and the enjoyment of the good things of life. There is a growing appreciation of table wines in the United States, and they are now available in increasing numbers of restaurants. Societies are being formed for the appreciation of food and wine, and for the good comradeship that comes from the enjoyment of both.

The American people will learn to recognize the wine of their choice by its title. The custom of labeling wines under the name of the variety of grape from which they are made is as old as California viticulture. In 1860, the Arthur Lachmann Company labeled a wine California Grand Noir, and I have tasted the 1892 vintage of Pinot Noir, bottled at Rutherford, California, by Captain Niebaum. The California law states that a bottle carrying a varietal label must contain at least 51 percent by volume of wine of that grape.

The better red varietal wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Camay, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Grignolino. These must be distinguished from wines labeled generically Claret, Burgundy, and Chianti. Among the white varietal wines are to be found Pinot Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc Vrai, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sylvaner, Traminer, White Pinot, White Riesling, and Folle Blanche. These are to be distinguished from the generic Sauterne, Chablis, and Rhine Wine. Over and above the varietal type name, it is important for the purchaser to know a bit about the regions in which some of the better wines are produced — the Napa, Sonoma, Livermore, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, and Cucamonga Valleys, and the Sonoma and Santa Cruz Mountains.

The wines of the Napa Valley are exceptionally fine, the reds are vigorous, big, and robust, and the whites delicate, elegant, and slower to mature than the while wines of the neighboring Sonoma Valley. In general, the wines of the Sonoma Valley are much softer, mature more readily, and can be drunk earlier than those of the Napa Valley.

In the Livermore Valley are produced the finest varietal white wines of California. From the Santa Clara Valley come many excellent wines: fine Grenache Rosé, soft varietal red and white wines, and good Champagnes. The Santa Cruz Mountain region produces an excellent and pleasantly tart Folle Blanche. This is one of the very few areas in the world where a drinkable wine is made from this grape. For a uniform light red table wine, the Grignolino, produced in the Cucamonga Valley, might be used as a standard wine for popular consumption in the United States.

Fine wines are the artistic expression of the creative genius of the vinifer — painstaking application of talent and skill. To produce a premium wine takes time and patience; it must be made from select grapes carefully handled, carefully fermented, tended in small batches, and jealously watched. Wines are living products, and they must be handled accordingly. Their quality is ensured by the producer, their maturity takes place in the cellar of the purchaser. They arc fragile and vulnerable unless they are artfully made and handled.

My best advice to those who desire to purchase California wine, is: First learn the outstanding characteristics of aroma and bouquet of the grape varieties, taste the wines produced by them, and then decide which ones you like. Second, learn the names of the producers of fine California wines. Third, obtain as much information as possible concerning the districts from which the best wines come. Fourth, insist upon the variety or wine type you desire and be certain of its identification; then try a bottle — make tasting a ceremony — and if it is suitable, purchase a supply of if and store it under proper conditions. In this simple way the greatest of pleasure awaits the cultivated palate.