French-born Jean-Louis Vignes (1780-1862) is an almost forgotten, important winegrowing pioneer of the USA. Yet he is considered California's first commercial winemaker. He emigrated from his homeland in 1827 to Sandwich Island, so named by James Cook, which is the island of Kauaʻi, now part of Hawaii. His wife (who never followed him) and his five children (three of whom also immigrated much later) stayed behind in Cadillac. He engaged there in viticulture, the cultivation of sugar cane, from which he distilled rum, and the breeding of cattle and turkeys. In the wake of a ban on alcohol imposed by the Protestant missionaries there and the destruction of the sugar cane fields, he immigrated to California in 1831 in what was then the Mexican era. Vignes bought 104 hectares of land on the banks of the Los Angeles River and began growing grapes on his estate, named "El Aliso".
Initially, he made wine exclusively from the historic Mission (Listán Prieto) variety introduced by the Franciscans, which produced large quantities of grapes or wine, but insufficient quality. For this reason, Vignes began importing European varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 1833. To ensure that the vines survived the long voyage undamaged, they were wrapped in damp moss and potato slices. By 1840, he was selling his wines all over California. By 1850 he had 40,000 vines in stock and produced around 150,000 bottles of wine from them. Samples were sent to the 10th US President John Tyler (1790-1862) and to France. From 1851, Vignes was also involved in the cultivation of oranges, apricots, apples, figs and walnuts. In 1855 he sold his farm to his nephews for $40,000. He was now socially active, helping to fund a hospital and participating in the founding of the first public school in California. Vignes and Aliso Street in Los Angeles today commemorate his significant contributions to California viticulture. See also under Viticultural Personalities.
