Grapes: California Grapes

The V. vinifera of Europe was introduced to California in 1769 to produce altar wines for the missions. The easy growth of this species under California conditions impressed later immigrants from the eastern states and a wine industry soon developed. The market was limited for dessert fruit until the advent of the refrigerated railway car in the 1880s. At that point, grape plantings in the Modesto and Fresno districts expanded, chiefly in varieties of character and flavor: White Malaga, Ahmeur bou Ahmeur (as Flame Tokay), Alphonse Lavallee (as Ribier), Olivette Blanche, and Muscat of Alexandria.