home › about Napa Valley ›
California Wine Industry
- Napa Valley produces only 4% of the wine made in the state of California.
- California vineyards were first planted in 1778 by Spanish Mission Fathers. The first winery was established in the 1850s during the California Gold Rush.
- Wine is California's number one finished agricultural product.
- Winegrape production enhances the environmental beauty of the State, preserves highly valued open spaces and rich agricultural heritage. Grapevines also help to cleanse the air, just as trees do.
- If California were a nation, it would be the fourth-leading wine-producing country in the world behind France, Italy and Spain, in that order.
- There are at approximatley 850 wineries in California. Roughly half of these wineries sell less than 5,000 cases and the largest 25 ship 90% of all California wine to markets worldwide.
