Bill Text: CA ACR227 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 227 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: California Zinfandel Month.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 52-21-1)

Status: (Passed) 2018-06-13 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 94, Statutes of 2018. [ACR227 Detail]

Download: California-2017-ACR227-Chaptered.html

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 227

CHAPTER 94

Relative to California Zinfandel Month.

[ Filed with Secretary of State June 13, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

ACR 227, Cooper. California Zinfandel Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of May 2018, and each May thereafter, as California Zinfandel Month.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, The zinfandel grape arrived in California during the 1850s gold rush; and

WHEREAS, Since its arrival in California, zinfandel has consistently been the state’s most widely planted grape, and remains among grapes in that category in the present day; and

WHEREAS, Zinfandel is a versatile grape that can produce wine that is light and fruity, like Beaujolais, complex, like cabernet or claret, or even syrupy and sweet, like port; and

WHEREAS, Through genetic analysis, Dr. Carole P. Meredith, former professor at the University of California, Davis, traced the zinfandel grape’s origins to the Dalmatia region of Croatia, where, as early as the 15th century, it was a staple of the region’s economy; and

WHEREAS, Today, California has some of the most exceptional regions in the world for growing the zinfandel grape, from the state’s cooler regions, which produce wines with red-berry fruit flavors, like raspberry, to its warmer regions, which produce wines with notes of blackberry, anise, and pepper; and

WHEREAS, These regions of the state contain some of the oldest zinfandel vineyards in the world, especially the Lodi viticultural area (“Lodi”), where 100-year-old vines continue to produce outstanding wine; and

WHEREAS, In Lodi, zinfandel grapes are grown on freestanding, head-trained vines, planted on their own natural roots in the deep, sandy loam soils of the Mokelumne River area, which offer natural protection from the phylloxera louse, and cause the vines to develop stronger, deeper rooting systems to find water; and

WHEREAS, Deep-rooted old vines grow a healthy balance of fruit and canopy, producing high-quality, delicious fruit, but this method of growth, fundamental to Lodi’s terroir, is expensive to maintain, as pruning, leaf-pulling, shoot-thinning, and harvesting are done by hand; and

WHEREAS, Due to labor shortages, some growers are uprooting old zinfandel vines and replacing them with more lucrative varieties that are easier and less expensive to grow; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, Kevin Phillips, Vice President of Operations for Michael David Winery and Phillips Farms, estimated that 10 percent of Lodi’s old vine plantings would be pulled that year, describing this loss as “living history being demolished”; and

WHEREAS, In the face of new challenges to the venerable zinfandel grape, which might be known as California’s heritage grape, zinfandel wine deserves renewed recognition for its unique contributions to this state and compelling character; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby recognizes zinfandel wine for its cultural and historical contribution to California, and its importance to the state’s wine industry, by proclaiming the month of May 2018, and each May thereafter, to be California Zinfandel Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.