February 3, 1857: On this day in history, the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma was the first commercial winery to start doing business in California.

February 3, 1980: On this day, the United States began using American Viticulture Area (A.V.A.) designations as its official appellation system. An American Viticulture Area (A.V.A.) is a region that is ideal for cultivating grapes and has distinctive physical and cultural characteristics. It has grown to include 242 AVAs throughout the United States.

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