Early Years
Early pioneer George C. Yount planted the first wine grapes in Napa Valley. In 1864 Yount's grandson-in-law Thomas Rutherford and his new bride Elizabeth received 1,040 acres of land in the area now known as Rutherford as a wedding present from Elizabeth's grandfather. Rutherford made a serious investment in grape production and winemaking from 1850 to 1880, and established himself as a grower and producer of high-quality wines.
John Patchett established the valley's first commercial vineyard in 1858. In 1861 Charles Krug established Napa Valley's first commercial winery in St. Helena. Captain Gustave Niebaum established InglenookWinery in 1879 near the village of Rutherford. This was the first Bordeaux style winery in the USA. Inglenook wínes won gold medals at the 1889 World's Fair inParis.
In 1868 H. W. Crabb bought land near Oakville close to the Napa River. Crabb established a vineyard and winery named To Kalon, and by 1877 had planted 130 acres and was producing 50,000 US gallons of wine per year. Crabb experimented with over 400 grape varieties in a quest to find the types best suited for the area.
By the end of the nineteenth century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the area. Of those original wineries, several still exist in the valley today including Beaulieu, Beringer, Charles Krug, Chateau Montelena, Far Niente, Mayacamas, Markham Vineyards, and Schramsberg.
Phylloxera, Prohibition and The Great Depression
Viticulture in Napa suffered several setbacks in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Phylloxera root louse killed many of the vines throughout the valley. Prohibition was enacted across the country in 1920 and many wineries were shut down. A few remained open with agreements to produce sacramental wine. Growers who elected to keep their vines planted sold their crops to home winemakers. The Great Depression slowed the wine business further. These events stalled the growth of the wine industry in Napa County, California for years.
Wine in Napa Valley
Following the Second World War, the wine industry in Napa began to thrive again.
In 1965, Napa Valley icon Robert Mondavi broke away from his family's Charles Krug estate to found his own. This was the first new large scale winery to be established in the valley since before prohibition. Following the establishment of the Mondavi estate, the number of wineries in the valley continued to grow, as did the region's reputation.
In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley's boutique wineries produce some of the world's best wines. The producers of these wines include but are not limited to: Araujo, Bryant Family, Chateau Montelena, Chimney Rock Winery, Colgin Cellars, Dalla Valle Maya, Diamond Creek, Dominus Estate, Duckhorn Vineyards, Dunn Howell Mountain, Grace Family, Harlan Estate, Husic, Kistler, Jericho Canyon Vineyards, Marcassin, Rutherford Hill Winery, Screaming Eagle, Shafer Hillside Select, Sine Qua Non, Spencer-Roloson Winery and Vineyard 29.
Today Napa Valley features more than three hundred wineries and grows many different grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. Napa Valley is visited by as many as five million people each year.
edited source: wikipedia.org/Napa County/Napa Valley