The Perfect Salad for Wine Tasting

Late summer is the perfect time for a wine country picnic in California. Honestly, it’s the perfect time for a picnic pretty much anywhere (as long as you pack along some California wine, of course). This month’s recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes is inspired by a pre-packaged version you can buy at a certain specialty grocer. Our version is lighter and brighter and so easy to make you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with the premade in the first place. You’ll find the recipe below. And don’t forget about our free recipe E-book, “Life’s a Picnic in California Wine Country” for even more picnic-inspired recipes.

What is the Best Wine Country in California?

If you’re wondering which wine country to spread that picnic blanket in, you have a lot of great places to pick from. It’s nearly impossible to choose the “best” wine country in California because you can find wine regions all over the Golden State. There are vineyards and wineries in the far north, down in Southern California, the Sierra Foothills and all across the Central Valley to the coast. It’s more than worth exploring all of them.

Each region has its own unique vibe and producers who truly understand what kinds of wines grow best in the particular soils and climates in those regions. All across California, teams of talented winegrowers, vineyard crews, winemakers and cellar hands have dedicated their lives to producing some of the best wines in the country — and the world.

What’s Special About California Wine? 

People have been making wine in California since the late 1700s, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the world actually started paying attention. You’ve probably heard of the 1976 Judgement of Paris where wines from Napa Valley were pitted against their French counterparts in a blind tasting in France. The French wine experts who participated in the tasting were shocked (some might even say furious) that they ranked the California wines above the French ones. Thanks to an article covering the event in Time magazine, word got out that California was making excellent wines. Investments started pouring in, as did visitors wanting to taste these wines, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Back in the 1970s there were only 300 wineries in the Golden State. Today there are 4,800. A whopping 80% of the wine made in the United States comes from California! California leads the pack in innovation and research thanks to our world-class viticulture and enology programs at UC Davis, Fresno State University and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. These institutions are the training grounds for winemakers who come from all over the world to learn from the best and brightest in the field. But perhaps most importantly, they provide important research on how climate change is impacting winegrowing; they work to create new and improved clones that are resistant to pests, disease and drought; and they innovate new technologies that help winegrowers farm more sustainably.

What is Sustainable Wine? (And Why You Should Care!)

California also leads the world when it comes to sustainable winegrowing. Over 80% of California wines are made in a sustainable winery. But what does that really mean? Sustainable wines are grown with environmentally friendly practices that protect the Earth for future generations. But sustainability goes way beyond that — there is also a focus on social equity, community relationships and making sure businesses can actually stay in business. Each time you choose wines from the Golden State you’re investing in that commitment to a brighter, healthier and more environmentally sound future. And, let’s be honest, you’re also choosing some of the most delicious wines in the world.