Bruni
Professor Jessica Dunne
12/5/11
Homework Assignment #5: Chapter 11, 12, & 16
Exercises: pg 403 # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1. How did Prohibition affect the wine industry in California? In California, the
enactment of Prohibition devastated the winemaking industry, closing all but the few
wineries that were allowed to make wine for use in food flavoring or sacramental
purposes. However, the business of growing grapes in California actually flourished due
to a clause in the Volstead Act that allowed the home production of up to 200 gallons of
non-intoxicating cider or fruit juice which was interpreted to include homemade wine.
(pg 366)
2. How did the Prohibition affect the tastes of wine drinkers in the United States?
Peoples tastes had changed and consumers had gotten used to poor quality homemade
wine that was often sweetened or fortified with distilled alcohol to cover up the flaws.
(pg 367)
3. What was the Paris tasting and what role did it have in building the reputation of
California wine? The Paris Tasting was in May of 1976. Steven Spurrier was a Parisian
wine merchant who held an event where wines from some of Californias best vintners
were matched in a blind tasting against some of Frances best producers. All of the
judges were French. It helped dispel the notion to wine consumers at home and aboard
that California made second-class wines. (pg 369-370)
4. Describe the importance of California in the U.S. wine industry. U.S. consumers are
becoming more familiar with wines from the Southern hemisphere and Europe that
compete directly with wines from California. These imported wines are often produced
specifically for export to the U.S. and are frequently brought in by multinational
companies that have winery holdings both in California and overseas. The puts global
competition extra pressure on California winemakers to make high-quality product
and keep their prices affordable. (pg 370)
5. Discuss winemaking in California during the mission period. During the mission
period from 1769 to 1833, the friars introduced winemaking to California. The Spanish
missionaries brought winemaking to California. They were led by Father Junipero Serra.
The Mission grape was a vinifera variety that was the first grapes grown for winemaking.
Mission is a red grape that is a prolific producer and adapts to a number of growing
conditions. The friars used it to make white and red wines, dessert wines and brandy.
The climates of the coastal missions of San Francisco and Santa Cruz were considered
too cold and foggy to ripen grapes. The Los Angeles Mission had the most extensive
vineyards of the missions due to its temperate climate and fertile soil. (pg 362-363)
Exercises: pg 428 # 1, 2, 3
1. Who introduced Pinot Noir to Oregon and when was it first planted? David Lett of
the Ernest Vineyard Winery first introduced Pinot Noir to Oregon and it was first planted
in the Dundee Hills region of the Willamette Valley in 1966. (pg 421)
2. How do the size of Oregon and Washington wineries compare to one another?
3. How does the climate of Columbia Valley compare to the climate of the Willamette
Valley and how do the differences affect the varieties of grapes that are grown
there?
Exercises: pg 534 # 1, 2, 3, 4
1. What are some of the main changes in the South African wine industry since the
dismantling of the apartheid regime?
2. Why can such a range of grape varieties be grown across the Cape vineyards?
3. Outline the conditions that limit production in South Africa.
4. What were the conditions that led to the establishment of the KWV?