IN THE 1770S, SPANISH COLONIZERS first started growing grapes in what they called called “New Spain.” Since then, California has become one of the leading winemaking regions of the world. The state has served as a crossroads of viniculture traditions from different countries. For example, the famous Zinfandel grape probably originated in Croatia, became widespread in southern Italy, and eventually made its way to California in the 1820s via Austria.The diverse history of California viniculture is reflected at The University of California, Davis, which owns what it calls “the world’s greatest wine library.”In the 1880s, the infant California winemaking industry faced the phylloxera pest, which had devastated Europe’s vineyards. The state government officially charged the University of California with the task of improving and protecting the quality of California wines.That’s when the wine library was created, says Dr. Audrey Russek, Food and Wine archivist at UC Davis. “The collection was started to support research on winemaking and viticulture,” she explains. Today, it contains some 35,000 books in 50 languages, as well as wine labels, press clippings, and the personal correspondence from some of the world’s most important vintners.
Source: The Treasures Within the World’s Greatest Wine Library – Gastro Obscura
