Jul 27, 2009

                                                                   

SAN FRANCISCO – California is a patchwork of culinary influences from immigrants who established the agricultural and viticulture practices of their homelands in the fertile valleys of the Golden State.  Today you see their fingerprints everywhere, from introducing artichokes to the Monterey peninsula, olive trees that stretch from San Diego to the Oregon border, to the century-old Zinfandel vines that flourish still.  With nearly a thousand miles of coastline, hundreds of microclimates and both the lowest and highest elevations in the continental United States, California yields a diverse and year-round harvest of 400 crops, including winegrapes that are among the finest in the world.

Today, over a hundred winegrape varieties thrive in California’s 108 viticultural areas, inspiring the state’s winemakers to create a wide array of interesting wines, the majority of which are farmed in a sustainable manner.  With the Sauvignon Blancs of Lake County, Zinfandels of the Sierra Foothills and Lodi, Cabernet Sauvignons of Napa Valley, robust reds of Paso Robles, Livermore and Temecula, dessert wines of Madera, and the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of Mendocino, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Barbara, California is a wine lover’s paradise.

It is easy to savor California’s wine and food, to eat and drink and enjoy the fresh, local and sustainable pleasures of the table as a Californian does, no matter where you live.  Look close to home, at your neighborhood farmers market with farmers offering everything from heirloom apples, tomatoes and lettuces, to free-range chickens and eggs, grass-fed meats and unique regional cheeses.  Good ingredients harvested at the peak of ripeness and sent to nearby markets without delay don’t require a lot of work in the kitchen.  Salt and pepper, a few fresh herbs, olive oil or a dollop of butter and, of course, California wine is all it takes.  

California’s vintners and growers, along with restaurateurs and retailers nationwide are celebrating California Wine Month in September, offering consumers numerous ways to learn about and enjoy California’s wide array of wines.  To celebrate the month and California style eating and drinking, Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers offer a recipe for Roast Chicken with Warm Harvest Bread Salad.  To learn more about California wine, wineries and winery events, visit: www.discovercaliforniawine.com.