California wines consist of 90% of the wine made in the United States, and the state is the fourth-largest producer in the United States. The Spanish waited until the eighteenth century to plant the first vineyards, but the resources have flourished ever since. However, it wasn't until recently that California wines began to be taken seriously by wine connoisseurs on a world stage. At the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine competition, California wines beat those of the French for the first time - in both classes of reds and whites.

The state is home to resources that produce over one hundred different grape varietals, including their famous pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, sauvignon blanc, and zinfandel. Chardonnays were a big seller up until the 1980s, when Americans finally began to bore of the beverage, and afterward California began producing Italian-style blends and varietals. The state is also home to sparkling wine producers, such as Moet et Chandon's Domaine Chandon, and Louis Roederer's Roederer Estate.

There are quite a variety of books on the history of the state's wine resources, and these differ greatly in scope and narrative. A book that touches on the subject of California's notorious and arguably most successful wine producing family, The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty is a must-have for researchers of California's wine resources. Julia Flynn Siler styles the Mondavi family saga as one that sits among American family legends like those of the Kennedys or Rockefellers. Whether you love or hate Robert Mondavi, this book is an important resource on California's most famous house of wine. Siler relates the story of the commercial reach of the Mondavis that once knew no limits, and a family that was torn apart by business and greed.

A different approach to California's wine history is James T. Lapsley's history on Napa's grape resources, Bottled Poetry: Napa Winemaking from Prohibition to the Modern Era. Poetry aside, Lapsley's approach on the subject is that of an historian. In his original voice the author tracks Napa Valley from its origins as a producer of sweet and dessert wines on to a resource of repute for fine wines. Lapsley explores the reasons why North California has been as successful as a resource for quality grapes and wines, and he takes important note of the parts business and economy have played in the region's wine industry.

The book Backroads of California Wine Country: Your Guide to the Wine Country's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures touches on the histories of various vineyards in the state, but more importantly it gives the reader a starkly beautiful insight to these places via photographs. The author, Karen Misuraca guides readers through a tour of California's valleys and resources from Santa Barbara to Sonoma. Throughout the book she touches on the roots of the state's wine ventures dating from its Spanish settlers, with the photos by Gary Crabbe being the finer point of the scenic tour.