Mission

California and Mexican name for the pais of Chile and criolla chica of Argentina, both synonyms for Listán Prieto. Historically very important as a survivor from the earliest vinifera vine varieties to be cultivated in the Americas, this was the original black grape variety planted for sacramental purposes by Franciscan missionaries in mexico, the south west of the united states, and california in the 17th and 18th centuries. Mission was an important variety in California until the spread of phylloxera in the 1880s and about 600 acres/240 ha persist, mainly in the south of the Central Valley.