Winegrowing in the Napa Valley

Napa Valley is known as the premier wine growing region of America.  Before there were grapes, Napa Valley was home to fruit and nut orchards.  By 1909, there were over 500,000 fruit and nut trees established in the Valley, predominantly pears, figs, and walnuts.  Early pioneer George C. Yount is said to have planted the first wine grapes in Napa Valley in the late 1800’s.  The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the Valley were found to be extremely conducive to growing high quality wine grapes.  In 1919, with the enactment of Prohibition, vineyards were abandoned and many winemakers found other trades during the next 14 years, with a handful of wineries continuing to operate by producing sacramental wines.  With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Napa Valley’s wine industry began its renaissance.