Sonoma Valley Wine Country
Often called the birthplace of the California wine industry, Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state. In 1825, the Franciscan missionaries brought cuttings of the highly productive, Mission grape, in order to make wines for mass. The first wine made from European cuttings was by Hungarian aristocrat, Agoston Haraszthy, who arrived in 1857 and founded Buena Vista Winery. Haraszthy imported thousands of cuttings of different grapes varieties. California wine achieved international noteriety at the Judgement of Paris Wine tasting competition in 1973 when a Chardonnay from Stag's Leap Winery won.