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LA Grape History

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Los Angeles Grape History

When Spanish settlers first arrived in Los Angeles in 1769, they found wild native grapes growing in abundance. They already knew from experience in Mexico, where the same native grape also grew, that it was not suited to making wine. But they took the vigor of the vines as a promising indicator that their own winemaking grapes would thrive. This promise was fulfilled in spectacular fashion, and soon there were vineyards growing everywhere – in the foothills, on the flatlands and along the banks of the river, all the way down to Long Beach. 

 

Los Angeles soon became the epicenter of the California wine industry, a distinction it held for over a century. But during this period of continuous cultural and economic upheaval -- from Gabrieleno-Tongva to Spanish to North American – the native grape and the Spanish grape hybridized with each other. It is not known if this hybridization took place spontaneously in nature or was created through human ingenuity. But the creation of the grape was auspicious as it provided palatable fruit as well as shade and became popular with landscapers and gardeners throughout the area.

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