The Modern Wine Industry
There are now more than 100 grape varieties grown in California, including a mix of the most popular French, Italian and Spanish grapes. Moreover, California wineries now produce all types of wine, including sparkling, dessert and fortified wines.
The primary focus, however, is on the “noble” grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. In addition, other popular grape varieties include Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Roussanne, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.
On a statewide basis, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the two most important grape varieties. Out of the total 525,000 acres planted in California, nearly 95,000 are dedicated to Chardonnay and 80,000 are dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon. Interestingly, nearly one-quarter (25%) of all vineyards in the Golden State are dedicated to organic, biodynamic, and sustainable winemaking practices.
Today, California hosts some of the world's largest wine companies and its winegrowing regions span the entire state and reflect a diverse and distinctive mix of winegrape varieties in significantly different locations, or appellations. It is also home to a wide array of boutique wineries, some of which attract astronomical prices for their cult wines. Furthermore, California is the fourth leading wine producer in the world!
Whether through mass production or single-vineyard artisanal winemaking, California produces 90 percent of American-made wine. It also supplies more than 60 percent of all wine consumed in the country (with the rest shipped internationally). A record 211.9 million cases were produced in 2011.