Mission

Early Spanish settlers built a series of Missions from San Diego as far as Sonoma. The Franciscan monks who ran the missions brought with them grape cuttings from which they made sacramental wines. From these vines cuttings were taken which spread all over the state until around 1850 when superior French varieties began to be grown. The Mission grape has been proven by DNA testing to be a Spanish grape called Listan Prieto, also known as Palomino Negro. It goes by the name Pais in Chile, Criolla Chica in Argentina and is also called Rose of Peru in California.

http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Researchers-Uncover-Identity-of-Historic-California-Grape_3412