Heritage of the Vine (1959, sound)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Our Story begins in the Autumn though in a sense there is no beginning and really no end it is a lovely time in the California valleys the first night frosts have touched the leaves with red and gold but the daytime Suns still warm the land it is a good time for the wine grower for in the leafy Vineyards reaching AC across the endless miles the clustered grapes are coming near to their hour of ripness grapes that will become the Mellow wines of America in other years to come each day now each hour almost the vineyardist is in the field measuring the sugar in the grapes then when at last the moment of full ripeness arrives The Vineyards that have land so long and quietly in the sun suddenly awaken to the activity of machines and Men the Vintage must be taken at its peak [Music] wine making is a mingling of time and skill and gentle patience the wineries themselves are quiet Citadel on the California Countryside quite in contrast to the bustling factories of modern industry there are few workers in evidence and very few machines save for the trucks which bring the newly picked grapes and the mechanical Crusher which squeezes out the juices from this point on there is a notable lack of mechanization good wines are made as they have been made for countless Generations slowly painstakingly and with utmost patience there can be no hurrying of production the wine must be content to wait or time is the master ventner wine of California inimitable fragrance and soft fire and the the wine is bottle poetry many words have been spoken and written to describe the subtle pleasures of wine but its Pleasures are so many and varied as to challenge the most eloquent vocabulary what words for instance can describe the flavor that wine imparts to food or who can put into words a mood of friendship a mood that can be so delicately warmed by the soft wine whose pleasure is one of moderation what are the impromptu Hospitality made possible by a carefully stocked little wine seller whether a simple homemade Affair in an idle closet or the more conventional bottle bins tucked away in the basement or who can describe the festive mood of the party punch bowl for this is Wine's purpose to heighten the pleasures of friendship and living always with the subtle Restraint of moderation not only on festive days but on all days throughout the year and now as the old year passes on the New Year's wine lies sleeping in The Cask quietly progressing toward the time when it too will spread its enjoyment across the land the Aging sellers at many of the wineries are historic old cerns carved by Pioneer wine makers out of solid Limestone Rock there is no day no night and there is no season the temperature is constant around 55 to 60° and changes in the outside weather are never known to the Aging wine sleeping in the darkness of its oen Cask The Vineyards in the world outside are aware of the season however for now Winter's bleakness is on the land the shotes which bore the Autumn Harvest have turned to dry and brittle twigs [Music] Winters are mild in the wine country a far cry from the winter in many other parts of the country mold wine has been a cold weather favored among Americans ever since colonial days a delightful way to warm the bones when Winter's chill is in the air when the glow of friendship welcomes the warmth of wine from The Vineyards of California when the Orchards blossom into a melody of color and the Earth is freshening with new life it is another beginning for the farmer for the vineyardist tending his Vines and working the soil spring is a time of critical effort in order to assure abundance for the Vintage to come for the home Gardener too it is a Time time of partnership with growing things and when a pause is called for a glass of chilled wine will provide a welcome [Music] relaxation in the remoteness of the winery spring is just another time of waiting nothing visible has changed but there are mysterious changes within the wine and these the ventner must watch with care so regularly the casks are opened and samples taken with an instrument aptly called the wine thief the samples are carefully analyzed to guide the ventner in blending the wines from Cas to Cask in order to achieve the finest from every vintage and the casks he uses are often veritable works of art from the Forgotten Craftsman of another [Music] Century Summer and the sun lies hot upon the ripening Vineyards the fields are a sea of leafy green small clusters of grapes are growing on the vines this is the time when farmers in certain of the wine growing areas must irrigate their Vineyards now too the farmer must spray his little clouds of scientific formulas Over The Vineyards to safeguard them from infestation the summer gives him little time to relax but for those who enjoy the fruits of his labor summer offers many relaxations as most barbecuers know wine is an excellent tenderizer for inexpensive cuts of meat and the flavor it imparts to the simplest dishes or the most elegant makes it an ideal accompaniment to everyday cooking indoors or out throughout the summer many of the wineries hold informal wine tastings in the open air at these gay Affairs set among the ancient California Oaks visitors young and old enjoy the samples of the wine Growers lifetime skill each a light-hearted embodiment of the grape so skillfully transformed into the brightness of wine here too the questing wine taster can make another discovery that while there are wines of many different names the selection of a wine for any occasion is a very easy matter for actually all wines divide into five simple categories the appetizer wines such as Sherry and vermouth the white dinner wines such as the Saturns reeling and CH many people prefer white wines with Seafoods and white Meats although they are equally appropriate with many other dishes the red dinner wines such as burgundy Claret and the pink Rosé the heavier bodied Reds are usually preferred with stronger flavored dishes although here again the best guide is personal taste the dessert wines such as port and Muscatel and the sparkling wines shampagne sparkling burgundy and pink Champagne armed with this simple knowledge even the novice wine taster can qualify himself as a selector of wines California has many wine regions Each of which has its special aptitudes for growing certain varieties of grapes in the coastal Area North of San Francisco Bay are two important wine growing regions the Sonoma mandino region and the Napa Valley in the son mandino region Vineyards often grow on logged off hillsides amid stands of ancient redwood trees the oldest of living things in the Napa Valley Mount St Alina lifts its ancient volcanic cone above the spreading Vineyards here the wine makers of long ago built their castle-like wineries with money taken from the commstock [Music] load east of San Francisco Bay wine growing centers around the Livermore Valley whose PEB rocky soil is ideally adapted to grapes which produce white dinner wines South of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Santa Cruz region Vineyards climb up the rolling hillsides where once again living redwood trees stand guard over the Highland Farms down the center of California stretch the two great valleys which comprise the largest wine growing region in America the Sacramento Valley and the sanen valley the sanen valley was once an arid desert but in this now fertile region are the three most productive agricultural counties in the nation and grapes are their most abundant crop Southern California was the birthplace of the California wine industry and is today an important wine growing region in one of its areas near kukamonga is one of the world's largest Vineyards much credit for the success of California's vulture as grape growing is called belongs to the University of California's College of Agriculture at Davis California here students from America and all parts of the world come to study scientific methods of viticulture so that they may take back to their homes the skill and knowledge which have made California the most productive wine land of the Earth the busy summer draws to an end in the winery preparations are made to receive receive the coming Harvest some of the wines of earlier years the oldest ones have completed their aging cycle they are sampled by the wine master and when in his critical judgment they have fulfilled their promise the order is given to transfer them to bottles wine is a product which continues to improve in the bottle so now it is stored in the bottle sellers for months or even years to slowly acquire that ultimate Excellence which is the Wine Maker's greatest Pride for the wine maker at his task it is rewarding to know that what he creates out of the Master's Bounty is a source of pleasure to many people not only at the gay times of Celebration the festive dinner parties the anniversaries and holidays but for all the days throughout the year for wine is a friendly counterpart to Everyday living these are the blessings of wine that it warms the clo of friendship heightens the pleasures of everyday living encourages moderation makes delightful the foods we eat and is abundant enough for all to enjoy it is a treasured part of our heritage and a proud American tradition [Music] [Applause] oh