1831 Jean-Louis Vignes, a native of Bordeaux, planted the first vineyards in Los Angeles on 104 acres near today’s Chinatown.  By 1836, Vignes was producing 150,000 bottles of white wine and brandy a year.  His success inspired many more grape growers and vinters to come to the area and by 1869, between the French and Italian vintners, Los Angeles had become the center of the state’s wine industry, with 43 wineries producing four million gallons a year.  Vignes Street, named after this entrepreneurial Bordelais, can be found today just southeast of Chinatown.
 

Like Los Angeles, the Bordeaux/Aquitaine region is home to five major universities and a wide array of cultural institutions.
 

Bordeaux is home to the largest port in France and is a strategic gateway to the European market as well as to emerging African nations. The Port of Los Angeles is ranked number one in North America in terms of containerized cargo, and is the United States’ primary gateway to the Pacific Rim marketplace, as well as having connections to all major world ports.
 

Both cities share highly developed industries in aeronautics, space and defense, and the fields of health and biotechnology, chemicals, electronics, and information technology.