California's winemaking industry was built by the labor of its workers. Often nameless and exploited, they cultivated wine under grueling conditions.
In uncovering the lost history of California wine, we found several images that told stories of the laborers at the heart of the industry and the fight against exploitation. The following images offer acknowledgment and recognition for their sacrifices, their courage to stand for fair working conditions and a glimpse into the wine industry before it was mechanized as we know today.
Picking grapes from the vineyard was an arduous and grueling job. Well before the use of machinery, California Natives and laborers from disenfranchised communities were forced to undertake the work through conquest and colonization. | Stanford University, Dept. of Special Collections & University Archives
Winemaking was not a solitary feat. Exploited and often unpaid, a multitude of workers (including these pictured Chinese workers at Vina Ranch) were required to take on the back-breaking labor of cultivating the fields. | Stanford University, Dept. of Special Collections & University Archives
Prior to the mechanization of the industry, wooden wine presses were developed to aid in the process. While the press managed to get the job done, it remained an arduous task that required strength and energy. | University of Southern California. Libraries and California Historical Society. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library. Public Domain.
The labor of winemaking did not stop in the fields. Workers shuttled trucks filled to the brim with grapes from the day's pickings. | Virginia Dare Winery negatives, City of Rancho Cucamonga Local History Photographs, Rancho Cucamonga Library
In 1965 through 1970, farm workers from the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee went on strike, marching through 10 Delano-area vineyards. They fought against exploitation and for a livable wage. Their picket line was often met by police. | Ernest Lowe Photography Collection. UC Merced, Library and Special Collections
The labor disputes in Delano developed into a movement for not only their civil rights, but the civil rights of American workers. They risked their livelihoods for the greater fight against labor exploitation. | Ernest Lowe Photography Collection. UC Merced, Library and Special Collections
