California

Wines from California

Welcome to the Sunny State! We're in California, one of America's largest and most important states. Home to the vibrant cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. But also Hollywood, Disneyland, and Silicon Valley. Who wouldn't want to relax on the beaches of Santa Monica, Newport Beach, or La Jolla? But beyond all these magnificent features, California has another major asset, allowing you to enjoy "The Sunny State" all over the world—WINE!

The wines from California

Californian viticulture faced its fair share of challenges in the early years. Despite the perfect climatic conditions, winemaking was far from a given. It all began with Prohibition, which restricted the production and sale of alcohol. When it was repealed in 1933, the first wineries slowly but surely emerged. It's striking that many of the founders, many of Italian descent, were pioneers of many prestigious wineries, such as Gnarly Head, Gallo, Coppola, and Sebastiani.

The Californian wines from America

California has become a major player in the wine world, with well-known names like Orin Swift, Wente, Beringer, and of course, Bernardus. When ranking the largest wine countries in terms of production, the United States comes in fourth, behind Italy, France, and Spain. Uniquely, this figure is almost entirely (over 90%) attributable to California. Besides California, some wine is also produced commercially in Oregon and Washington. However, this further emphasizes California's inestimable value.

Buy the finest wines from California

California has a very distinctive character. The oak-aged, full-bodied, creamy Chardonnay wines are characteristic of the region. Powerful, yet remarkably fresh thanks to the Californian sun. California also excels in red wines. Thanks to the phenomenon Robert Mondavi, California's Cabernet Sauvignon has become a real crowd-pleaser.