• California Wine: Hundreds of Years in the Making

    Nearly every year, Melissa Ruzylo of Huntington Beach, California, makes some time to visit the beautiful wine country in the northern part of the state. Most historians believe that the first vineyards were planted in this area in 1683 by a Jesuit missionary named Eusebio Francisco Kino. The ultimate fate of these vineyards is not known because Kino’s mission was abandoned shortly after the planting. Almost 100 years later, another attempt was made to establish vineyards in the Northern California area. Located at Mission San Diego, these vineyards were planted by members of the Franciscan order and flourished in the mild and sunny climate. The Mission grapes produced by these…