September is wine month in California, the top wine producing state in America. California has more than 4,600 grape growers and 3,000 bonded wineries, which produce approximately 90 percent of the wine in the United States.
For the month of September, Governor Schwarzenegger issued a proclamation that encourages consumers to take advantage of California Wine Month events — such as taking a tour or enrolling in a class — and become more familiar with this rich and unique part of the California culture. To find out what is being offered by various wineries and other resources, click here.
California offers an immense range of choices for wine drinkers, because of diverse growing regions, soils, climates, winemaking styles and people. Winegrapes are grown in 48 of the state’s 58 counties, and there are 110 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) In California. The wine industry supports 820,000 jobs across the nation, 330,000 of them in California.
An important part of this culture, Governor Schwarzenegger mentions, is the California wine community’s long term commitment to promoting socially and environmentally responsible farming practices, something that is of interest to more and more consumers. California has a widely adopted sustainable winegrowing and winemaking program, and all of the regions hosting California Wine Month events participate in it.
California Wine Month was created and is coordinated by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers.