Cucamonga Valley AVA

Grape cultivation began in the Cucamonga Valley in 1838 by Tiburcio Tapia on the Rancho Cucamonga, a Mexican land grant in Alta California. In 1859 rancher John Rains began large vine plantings in Cucamonga, introducing agriculture on a large scale to replace traditional cattle and sheep raising in the region. By 1917 the Cucamonga-Guasti vineyards spanned over , and Secondo Guasti was advertising his vineyard as "The Largest in the World." When Prohibition began in 1920, the Cucamonga Valley produced more wine grapes than Napa and Sonoma Counties combined. In 1910, the former Mission Vineyard winery, later known as the Virginia Dare Winery, was established in the town of Rancho Cucamonga followed by others including the Thomas Brothers Winery, G. Filippi and Son Winery, and Ellena Bros./Regina Winery. Following Prohibition and its Repeal in 1933, the wine industry and other agricultural businesses in the Cucamonga Valley faced increasing pressure from the urban expansion of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. During the 1970s, agricultural land in Cucamonga Valley underwent massive conversion and loss to suburbanization, for families from those counties seeking affordable housing. The Joseph Filippi Winery & Vineyards and other vintners and growers in the area worked to attain the AVA designation, and have been bringing back winemaking to the Cucamonga Valley. == Wineries ==