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It would be impossible to talk about wine history in Amador and El Dorado counties without first mentioning the great California Gold Rush. On January 24th, 1848 James Marshall saw a metallic glimmer which was to change the world. |
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"January 24, 1848: This day some kind of mettle was found in the tailrace that looks like goald, first discovered by James Martial, the Boss of the mill" -- From the diary of Henry Bigler |
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When James Marshall discovered this metal in Coloma, he quickly went to his employer, John Sutter in Sacramento. Sutter owned the mill and several other holdings including his fort which was located where the American River meets the Sacramento River. Sutter and Marshall put the mysterious metal through several tests and to their delight, determined that it was gold. Sutter and Marshall agreed that they would keep it a secret, but this proved impossible and soon the news leaked all the way to the eastern seaboard and then to the world. The combination of easy money and wild exaggeration caused one of the greatest human migrations ever recorded. Men were drawn to the area by tales of gold piles lying on top of the ground just waiting for someone to scoop it up. As most would soon find out, gold prospecting was hard work and also involved a great deal of luck. The really prosperous people of the time were the ones who catered to the miners. It was the store keepers, suppliers, saloons, and wineries that were the real gravy train. |
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Often,
when mining didn't pan out (pardon the pun), people would take to other
means in order to support themselves and their families. Usually,
citizens would open a supply store, laundry, bar/saloon, or other industry
in support the thousands of miners who were in the area. Some,
however turned to agriculture. In El Dorado county, these names
would include: Skinner, Zentgraf, Fossati, Lombardo, Allhoff, and Chalmers.
In Amador county we had Uhlinger, D'Agostini, Froelich, Bell, and
Prevatali to name a few. It seemed for a while that everyone who
owned farmable land had at least a few vines to support their own wine
habit. The fact of the matter is that it was the gold which brought
everyone to El Dorado and Amador Counties. Prior to gold being
discovered their were mostly native Americans and a few adventurous
explorers from the east coast. This being the case, the earliest
wineries and vineyards in the area were not established until 1849 or
later. El Dorado and Amador counties are rich in gold rush history
and both counties have extensive backgrounds in viticulture and enology.
There are several key players in early California wine making
history. Some of the old wineries still stand today, some are old
stone ruins, and some are gone forever. Here are a few of the major
players in each county:
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Please Click on El Dorado or Amador to Continue... |
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