The History of Wine Country in the Sierra Foothills and the Delta

History of Wine Country in the Sierra Foothills

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Environmental Implications and the End of Hydraulicking

Forests were cut down with alarming efficiency to build flumes to divert rivers. Because almost all the trees surrounding the rivers and creeks in the Sierra Foothills were cut down, the banks were not properly supported. This contributed to the regular inundations downstream. In one exceptionally bad year, the newly elected mayor of Sacramento had to travel by boat to his inauguration.

The majority of the trees in the Tahoe area today are less than 150 years old. The old-growth was decimated during the Gold Rush.

Hydraulic Mining. Malakoff Diggins, North

Bloomfield, Nevada County, California. Photo

courtesy California Historical Society

Huge amounts of debris from constant the use of hydraulics filled riverbeds and caused flooding in Delta farmlands that worsened every year. Viticultural production in Lodi was adversely affected during these years.

This boom cycle continued until January 7, 1884 when Judge Lorenzo Sawyer of the Ninth Circuit Court outlawed the practice of hydraulicking. He declared that the impact of using hydraulics on the natural environment was undeniable. Political pressure from agricultural interests in the Delta and the Central Valley was also a factor. However, the most powerful objection to hydraulicking came from the U.S. Navy. They could barely reach Mare Island Naval Base through the clogged waterways.

The Bust, Prohibition, and Post-Prohibition Years

One of the defining periods in California's history had ended and the economic repurcussions were massive. The town of Fiddletown is an example of the impact of the mining bust. Once a vibrant trading center, the population dwindled significantly after Judge Sawyer's ruling.

Because wine country in the Sierra Foothills was isolated from the rest of the state, planted vineyards in the region largely avoided the devastation caused by the Phylloxera Louse at the end of the nineteenth century. Because of this, there are some exceptionally old vines still alive in the foothills today.

However, this isolation coupled with the disintegration of the local market for wine (no more miners) had a severe impact on the wine industry. When Prohibition became law, only the Fossati-Lombardo Winery retained its bond to produce wine for local churches. The wine industry in the Sierra Foothills fell even further into oblivion in the decades immediately following the repeal of Prohibition. Even Fossati-Lombardo Winery was forced to shut its doors.

The Delta weathered these years more successfully. In the years after the Gold Rush, many of the growers in Lodi began to form wine producing co-ops to deal with the changing times. These arrangements were largely successful for several decades.

California Vineyard in 1942, courtesy Library of Congress.

After Prohibition was enacted, Lodi Wine Country continued to produce grapes for home winemakers through the Volstead Act. Heads of household were legally allowed to make a limited amount of wine for personal consumption. The proximity of logistical routes to Lodi made the business quite profitable.

The Flame Tokay and Zinfandel varietals were shipped all over the country, often east of the Rocky Mountains. Cesare Mondavi (father of Robert and Peter) came to Lodi from Northern Italy in the 1920s. He began his career in the wine industry by shipping grapes to the East Coast during Prohibition.

The Renaissance Wine Country in the Delta and Sierra Foothills

By the 1950s, 7 major Lodi co-ops encompassed more than 600 independent growers. However, problems with this business model began to arise. All the co-ops except East-Side were eventually bought by major wine production and distribution corporations. This is the basis for the current domination of big business in Lodi Wine Country. The region has only partly emerged from the jug wine era. Lodi is instrumental in producing grapes for White Zinfandel. That being said, there are many high-quality, limited-quanity wines from the AVA.

Wine production in Clarksburg began in 1968 when Warren and Chris Bogle planted 20 acres of vineyards in the region. The AVA's wine industry has grown considerably since then and currently has a reputation for producing some of the best Chenin Blanc in the United States.

Napa Valley Today

Greg Boeger bought the old Fossati-Lombardo Winery in 1973 and established the first Post-Prohibition Winery in the Sierra Foothills. Since then, the region has steadily grown, and has recently planted a significant amount of Rhone and Cal-Italian varietals. Zinfandel remains the region's specialty.

The Sierra Foothills and Delta have played an extremely important role in shaping modern California. Although these regions are often thought of as peripheral, they are largely responsible for the population and financial foundation that the Golden State rests on today.

Added March, 2005

About The Author: Benjamin Bicais lives in

the Napa Valley.

Article provided by: Go Articles

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