Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/977271
158 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 Tularcitos, Rancho San Francisquito, Rancho Potrero de San Carlos, Rancho Canada de la Segunda and Rancho los Laureles. Some of those Spanish titles survive as names for a school, a resort hotel, a luxury housing development and a former golf course. Carmel Valley re- mained a rural ranching and agricultural region until the late 20th cen- tur y. According to restaurateur and win- er y owner Walter Georis, "The climate and soils were perfect for growing pears," he says. "Those pears were shipped all over the world in the 1920s." The post-World War II economic boom saw many of those lands turned into housing developments, including one promoted by Byington Ford just north of present-day Carmel Valley Village. Ford's dream was a neighborhood built around an airstrip, allowing pilots to house their private planes in their home hangars. The scheme didn't catch on, but the airfield he laid was used for private avi- ation until its closing in 2002. A second wave of agricultural activity was born when businessman Bill Durney planted a vine- yard on his vacation proper ty—a working cattle ranch— in 1968 in the Cachagua area. "Initially, my father planted Cabernet, Chen- in Blanc, Riesling and Gamay Baujolais," says Christine Armanasco, Durney's daughter. At first, Durney's grapes were sold to other producers. "Mountain View-based winery Gemello was the first to print the words "Carmel Valley" on a label," says David Armanasco, Christine's husband and former Durney general manager. "Other companies were winning medals with the wines made from our grapes," Christine says. "My father thought, 'I should start making my own wine.'" That decision led to the creation of the Carmel Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) and was the catalyst of what has become a multi-million-dollar industry and the spearhead of Carmel Valley becoming what it is on track to becoming today: an upscale destination for luxury travelers with a taste for fine wines and locally-sourced, innovative cuisine. Today, there are around 20 wineries operat- ing in the Carmel Valley AVA and many more Cowgirl Winery in the Village pours their wines in a refurbished barn accompanied by an upbeat atmosphere that recalls the Valley's rural past. Photos: Kelli Uldall Today, there are around 20 wineries operating in the Carmel Valley AVA and many more that number of tasting rooms in the valley.