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But
time
has
pi-oved
tliat
they
were
mistaken,
for
as
soon
as
it
became
evident
that
the
European
varieties
of
grapes
would
thrive
in
California
and
produce wines
similar
to
the
foreign
types
the
Mission
vines
were
uprooted
and
today
the
extent
of
these
grapes
probably
does
not
total
more
than
a
couple
of
thou-
sand
aci-es,
of
the
160,000
acres
we
have
in
wine
grapes
alone.
However,
but
little
advance
was
made
toward
increasing
the
area
of
viticulture
until
1859,
when,
through
the
publication
of
vine
articles
in
the
reports
of the
State
Agricultural
Society,
and
in
the
newspapers,
a
general
and
widespread
interest
mani-
fested
itself
in
vine
i)lanting
and
the
area
of
our
vineyards
be-
came
greatly
increased.
A
large
proportion,
however,
of
these
new
plantations
consisted
of
table
grape producing
vines.
In
the
early
sixties
our
State
Legislature
sent
a
commission
abroad
to
secure
the
finest
varieties
of
grapes
in
Europe
and
Asia.
This
resulted
in
planting
better
varieties
for the
table,
for
the
winepress
and
for
raisin
curing.
But
it
was
not
until
about
1880
that
the
foreign
varieties
of
grapes
were
set
out
ex-
tensively,
for
up
to
that
time
there
were
only
a
limited
few
who
believed
that
any
grapes
could
be
as
good
as
the
old
Mission
va-
riety.
Through
the
persistent
efforts
of
a
few
enterprising
viti-
culturists,
.small
quantities
of
wine
were
produced
from
imported
varieties,
whose
character
showed
such
superiority
over
those
made
from
the
Mission,
that
new
faith
in
the
future
of
Cali-
fornia
wines
was
born,
and
the
belief
si)read
that
under
proper
conditions,
our
State
might
some
da.\-
make
wine
of a
superior
grade,
and
eventually
rival
some
of the
better
wines
of
European
countries.
After
fifty
years
of patient,
costly
experimental
work
and
the
expenditures
of
vast
sums
in
repairing
the
ravages
of
the
phylloxera
and
Anaheim
diseases,
the
great
goal
has
been
reached
and
today
California
wines
are
considered
the
equal
of
tho.se
produced
in
France,
Italy
and
Germany.
Even
abroad
they
ad-
mit
this,
for
at
the
International
Exposition,
at
Turin,
Italy,
in
1911,
a
new
brand
of
California
champagne
received
the
"grand
prix,"
the
highest
award
which
the
exacting
jury
could
confer.
Another
proof
of
the
superiority
of
American
wines
is
the
test
they
.stood
at
the
St.
Louis
World's
Exposition
in
1903,
when
they
were
placed
in
competition
with
the
best
of
every
great
grape-growing
and
wine-producing
nation
in
the world.
Out
of
thirty-odd
entries
of
wines,
California alone
was
awarded
three
grand
prizes
and
nineteen
gold
medals.
In
proportion
to
our
entries,
California
received
more
prizes
for
its
wines,
brandies,
vermouth
and
champagne
than
any
other
exhibitor
at
home
or