LA wines are having a moment

Napa, Sonoma… how about Malibu or Antelope Valley?

The L.A. region once had a thriving wine-making tradition, but it was eclipsed in the 20th century with the growth of Northern California vineyards.

Now though, there's a resurgence, with growing numbers of wine producers establishing themselves in the L.A. area.

That’s partly because consumers are moving away from large-scale industrial wine labels exported across the globe to a more sustainable approach. Similar to locally caught fish and zero-waste cooking, small-batch locally-grown wines are another way people are making more conscious decisions when thinking about food.

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On Friday, Nov. 15, Grown in LA: A Festival of Los Angeles Wine, will showcase these independent winemakers, at the Angeleno Wine Co. in Chinatown.

The first festival in 2019 featured four producers. This year it will include 11 winemakers from like of Malibu, Bel Air, Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley, and San Bernardino, to name a few.

Byron Blatty with wines at his tasting room in Highland Park.

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Courtesy Winery Reflections

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Herrmann York Wine at Galleano Home Ranch Jurupa Valley outside of Riverside.

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Courtesy Herrmann York Wine

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It's a result of efforts by the Los Angeles Vintners Association (LAVA), which is on a mission to revitalize the rich history of Los Angeles winemaking traditions and highlight the true potential of the terroir.

California wine history

California wines date back to the 18th century, when, during Spanish colonization, Father Junípero Serra planted some of the first vineyards at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

In the early to mid-1800s, with over 100 wineries, L.A. was one of the largest wine-producing regions in the United States. But during the Gold Rush, wine-making gradually expanded to parts of Northern California, such as Napa and Sonoma, eventually dwarfing the much smaller L.A. growers.

Understanding the climate

The Los Angeles region is ideal for winemaking because of its diverse microclimates. This informs the “terroir,” the combination of factors that includes soil, climate, and access to sunlight, all of which give wine grapes their specific character.

These microclimates vary from the Malibu hills' Mediterranean climate at AJA Vineyards to the chaparral desert areas, like Rock Farm Vineyard in the Antelope Valley, where vines grow alongside Joshua trees.

A fresh arrival of grapes to the Angeleno Wine Company in Chinatown

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Courtesy Angeleno Wine Co.

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The tasting room inside of Angeleno Wine Co.

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Courtesy of Angeleno Wine Co.

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That means you can get wines that taste very different in quite a small area. Patrick Kelley, who owns Cavaletti Vineyards in Moorpark, compares L.A.’s winemaking region to southern France, an area known for its high volume of varietals.

“There are so many different wine styles that you can do. You can do everything, from super steamy cool kid red wine to a massive jammy Zinfandel that you would get from Sonoma, and everything in between,” Kelley said.

Los Angeles wines do have common attributes, such as a mellower profile, compared to those in Northern California, according to Jasper Dickson, who co-owns Angeleno Wine Co with Luftig. He said that’s to do with the grapes having an increased exposure to heat, which removes some of the acidity.

A bottle of Rock Farm Pink from Herrmann York Wines

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Courtesy Herrmann York Wines

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A selection from Angeleno Wine Co. in Chinatown

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Courtesy Angeleno Wine Co.

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One grape commonly grown by L.A.-based winemakers is the Tannat grape, with its thick skin and high tannins. The Tannat has a drier and more bitter profile when grown in colder climates. But here in Southern California, it takes on softer, smoother characteristics.

“As soon as you cross the mountains where Santa Barbara is, and you get to the other side, we start warmer nights in Southern California,” Dickson said.

Accessible wines

Ultimately, Los Angeles-based winemakers say they aren’t looking to create wines that are overly complex or expensive. They want their wines to fit most people's palates at a price point that most can afford.

Mark Blatty, who owns Byron Blatty Wines and runs a tasting room in Highland Park, said wines grown in L.A. tend to have a more approachable quality, meaning higher drinkability, especially for the casual wine drinker.

“I don't think these are generally difficult wines to get into for a wine drinker,” he said.

Garrett York, co-owner and winemaker of Herrmann York Wine located in Redlands, said he sees it more as the way food evolved. “It's not a luxury item as many folks think it is and how previous generations have seen it and treated it," he said. "Food is dynamic, food is accidental, food is exciting, food is varied, food differs from culture to culture, and wine should be too.”

“I think the future of both of them is small and human-sized," he added.