For California wine enthusiasts, the Columbus Day weekend used to mean a big San Francisco tasting focused on wines made from Italian grape varieties grown in the United States.

That went away more than a decade ago, sunk when organizers conceded that domestic wines based on Italian grape varieties just weren't resonating with consumers. The wines also couldn't measure up to imports from Italy in value and interest and were more difficult to master in both vineyard and cellar than anticipated at the outset.

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Source: http://www.sacbee.com/