Author: Gail Unzelman

This giant Welcome sign leads us to two good wine country stories. One is the sign itself, the other is the famous author of the sign’s displayed quote. Sonoma County has its Valley of the Moon wine country and Jack London. Napa Valley has Robert Louis Stevenson.

Soon after the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills, it was discovered that the small valleys and foothills of the Mother Lode could be planted to grains, fruits, and wine grapes. Within a few years a number of vineyards were planted and small wineries erected, and as the mining activities prospered so did the winegrowers.

AN INTRODUCTION to myself and my wine postcards :: Following my first visit and taste of Northern California wine country in the 1960s, collecting and studying the history of this exciting new world fast became an absorbing passion. Vacations took my husband and me on visits to most of the wineries all over the state, gathering winery-offered brochures, wine labels, postcards. Searching the “old postcard” stalls at statewide Paper & Ephemera Fairs taught me early on the rare historical value of vintage California wine postcards. Today the collection has some 2200 cataloged postcards, acknowledged the largest in the world. These invaluable treasures will one day proudly reside at UC Davis-Special Collections. But until that time, it will be a great pleasure to share a monthly postcard story of California’s wine history