Napa Valley Wine Country

Brief History of wine in Napa

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 (4 km²) of land in the area now known as Rutherford as a wedding present from Elizabeth's grand-father. 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 Inglenook Winery in 1879 near the village of Rutherford. This was the first Bordeaux style winery in the USA. Inglenook w?nes won gold medals at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris.

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 (0.5 km²) 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.

Here is the Napa Valley Wine Country Map.  Click or mouse over the icon to reveal the winery.