This project uncovers a sweeping but often overlooked narrative: the rise, fall, and reinvention of California wine — from Mission‑era vineyards in San Diego to the Italian wine families of Escondido, the dominance of Napa and Sonoma, and the surprising truth that Washington wine is California wine carried north.

“The greatest wine is not necessarily the most expensive wine. It is the wine tasted when the palate is most capable of appreciating it.”