Wine Country (California)

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Wine Country
Wine region
Domaine Carneros, Napa Valley, CA USA - panoramio (9) (cropped).jpg
Castello di Amorosa courtyard 2.JPG
Walters Ranch Hop Kiln in 2019.jpg
Chateau Montelena Winery.gk.jpg
Inglenook Winery Chateau.jpg
Autumn in Napa Valley vineyards.jpg
Top to right: Domaine Carneros in Los Carneros AVA ; Castello di Amorosa in Napa Valley AVA ; the historic Walters Ranch Hop Kiln; Chateau Montelena in Calistoga AVA ; Inglenook in Rutherford AVA ; Napa Valley in autumn.
Year established1812
Years of wine industry1812–present
CountryUnited States
Part of California wine
Sub-regions Wine Country AVAs
Climate region Mediterranean

Wine Country is the region of California, in the northern Bay Area, known worldwide as a premium wine-growing region. [1] The region is famed for its wineries, its cuisine, [2] Michelin star restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, historic architecture, [3] and culture. [4] Viticulture and wine-making have been practiced in the region since the Spanish missionaries from Mission San Francisco Solano established the first vineyards in 1812.

Contents

There are over 800 wineries in the North San Francisco Bay Area, [5] mostly located in the area's valleys, including Napa Valley in Napa County, and the Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Bennett Valley, and Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. Wine grapes are also grown at higher elevations, such as Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder AVAs. [6] Cities and towns associated with the Wine Country include Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Sonoma, Kenwood, Petaluma, Sebastopol, Guerneville, Windsor, Geyserville, and Cloverdale in Sonoma County; Napa, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga in Napa County; and Hopland and Ukiah in Mendocino County. Wine is also becoming an important part of the economy in nearby Lake and Solano Counties: in 2014, Lake County surpassed Mendocino County in price paid per ton of grapes in the North Coast premium market. [7]

Appellations

Buena Vista Winery, in Sonoma, is the oldest commercial winery in California, founded in 1857. Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, CA (cropped).jpg
Buena Vista Winery, in Sonoma, is the oldest commercial winery in California, founded in 1857.
Hot air ballooning over Napa Valley. Napa Valley, United States (Unsplash Az3kQbCND2o).jpg
Hot air ballooning over Napa Valley.
Chateau and vineyards in Napa. Vineyard and Chateau - Napa.jpg
Chateau and vineyards in Napa.

Wine Country is generally regarded as the combined counties of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Solano. These counties contain the following American Viticultural Areas (AVAs): [8]

The six-county North Coast AVA overlaps with the Wine Country as defined here. In addition, the names of the counties themselves are legal for use as appellation names. [9]

History

The earliest prehistory of the Wine Country involves habitation by several Native American tribes from approximately 8000 BC. [10] The principal tribes living in this region included the Pomo, Coast Miwok, Wappo and Patwin, whose early peoples practiced certain forms of agriculture, but probably not involving the cultivation of grapes. During the Mexican Colonial period and after, European settlers brought in more intensive agriculture to the Wine Country, including growing grapes and wine production. Some of the historical events that led to the establishment of California as a state transpired in the Wine Country. In particular, the town of Sonoma, is known as the birthplace of American California. Agoston Haraszthy is credited with being one of the forefathers of the California wine industry in Sonoma by his planting of grapes in the lower Arroyo Seco Creek watershed of Sonoma County. [11]

In 2017, many portions of California's Wine Country were heavily devastated by wildfires, including the October 2017 Northern California wildfires. [12]

Ecology

Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain AVA with background of the Mayacamas Mountains. Sonomamtnvineyard.jpg
Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain AVA with background of the Mayacamas Mountains.
The Charles Krug Winery, founded in 1861, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Charles Krug Winery, 2800 St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena, CA 10-16-2011 3-23-11 PM.JPG
The Charles Krug Winery, founded in 1861, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Beringer Vineyards is Napa Valley's oldest continuously operating winery. Beringer Brothers-Los Hermanos Winery, 2000 Main St., St. Helena, CA 10-16-2011 2-18-03 PM.JPG
Beringer Vineyards is Napa Valley's oldest continuously operating winery.

A diversity of aquatic and terrestrial organisms populate the Wine Country and its riparian zones. Winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tsawytscha), Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are the most prominent fishes. Researchers have studied anadromous fish-movements extensively in Sonoma Creek and in the Napa River as well as in the Laguna de Santa Rosa - not only in the mainstems, but in many of the tributaries. These investigations have demonstrated a historical decline in spawning and habitat value for these species, primarily due to sedimentation [13] and secondarily to removal of riparian vegetation since the 19th century. [14]

A variety of salamanders, snakes and frogs are also present in the Wine Country. The federally listed as threatened California red-legged frog is present in the northern reach draining the south slopes of Annadel State Park. [15] Several endangered species (mostly associated with the Napa Sonoma Marsh) present include Ridgway's rail (Rallus obsoletus), California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis), California brown pelican (Pelicanus occudentalis), California freshwater shrimp ( Syncaris pacifica ), salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris ), Suisun shrew (Sorex ornatus sinuosus), Sacramento splittail (Pogonichtys macrolepidotus). The above are endangered species with the exception of the splittail, steelhead and black rail, which are federally designated as threatened. [16]

Upland ecosystems drained include mixed California oak woodland, chaparral and savannah woodland. [17] In these upland reaches one finds plentiful black-tailed deer, coyote, skunk, raccoon, opossum, wild turkey, turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk and occasionally bobcat and mountain lion. Prominent higher elevation trees include: Coast live oak, Garry oak, Pacific madrone, California buckeye, Douglas fir, whereas valley oak is prevalent on the Wine Country valley floors. [18]

Tourism

The Wine Country has undergone a boom in tourism. In 1975 there were only 25 Napa Valley wineries; [19] today there are well over 800 wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties. [5] Tourists come to the region not only for wine tasting, but also for hiking, bicycling, hot air ballooning, and historic sites, as well as the extensive culinary choices.

Numerous notable chefs and restaurateurs are present in the Wine Country, including Thomas Keller, John Ash, and Sondra Bernstein. [20] Besides the obvious winery attractions, the Wine Country is known for the Sonoma County coastline along the Pacific Ocean, the Russian River valley, redwoods, hot spring baths, petrified forests and other natural areas.

Greystone Cellars, 2555 Main St., St. Helena, CA 10-16-2011 2-58-32 PM.JPG
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is a prestigious Napa culinary school.

The Wine Country tourism boom has its downside, exemplified by traffic congestion on State Route 29, particularly on summer weekends, when the number of tourists often exceeds the carrying capacity of the road. The Napa Valley is also experiencing pressures for increased urbanization and roadway upgrading. [21] There have also been issues related to regulating home sharing. After a boom in residents renting rooms in private homes, the city government of Napa was forced to require any Napa Airbnb properties to register. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

Napa County, California County in California, United States

Napa County is a county north of San Pablo Bay in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 136,484. The county seat is the City of Napa. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Lake County in 1861.

Sonoma Valley region in Sonoma County, California

Sonoma Valley is a valley located in southeastern Sonoma County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Known as the birthplace of the California wine industry, the valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of prohibition in the early 20th century. Today, the valley's wines are protected by the US Federal Government's Sonoma Valley and Carneros AVAs.

Livermore Valley AVA California wine region in Alameda County

The Livermore Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Alameda County, California, surrounding the city of Livermore in the Tri-Valley region. Both the AVA and the city are named after Robert Livermore, a landowner whose holdings encompassed the valley. The groundwater basin underlying the valley is the Livermore Basin, the largest sub-unit of which is the Mocho Subbasin. The Livermore Basin is one of five aquifers in the San Francisco Bay Area that supply most of the metropolitan Bay Area population. The entire Livermore Basin aquifer faces a concern over elevated total dissolved solids by the year 2020 due to an expanding human population leading to higher rates of return water flows to the aquifer containing certain salts.

Alexander Valley AVA

The Alexander Valley is a Californian American Viticultural Area (AVA) just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries and vineyards, as well as the city of Cloverdale. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma. Highway 101 runs through the valley, and the Russian River flows down the valley, surrounded by vineyards on both sides. From the higher elevations of the valley rim, there is a view as far south as Taylor Mountain and Sonoma Mountain. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander, owner of a part of the Rancho Sotoyome Mexican land grant, in 1847. Granted AVA status in 1984, the boundaries of the appellation are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 9.53.

Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world. Records of commercial wine production in the region date back to the nineteenth century, but premium wine production dates back only to the 1960s.

Knights Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Sonoma County, California. One of Sonoma County's original five AVAs, Knights Valley AVA was formally designated an American Viticultural Area on October 21, 1983. Knights Valley AVA includes approximately 37,000 acres (150 km2). Over 30 growers maintain the 2,000 acres (8 km2) planted to wine grape vineyards. The easternmost designated Sonoma County wine region, Knights Valley AVA has the warmest climate in the county. The valley lies between the Alexander Valley AVA and Chalk Hill AVA wine regions to the west and the Mayacamas Mountains to the east. Geographically, the appellation separates the rest of Sonoma County from the Napa Valley AVA.

Domaine Chandon California

Domaine Chandon is a winery located in Napa Valley in the town of Yountville, California. Established in 1973 by Moët et Chandon, by businessman John Wright and was the first French-owned sparkling wine producer in Napa Valley.

Suisun Valley AVA

The Suisun Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Solano County, California, located just east of the Napa Valley wine region in the Coast Range. It was established as a wine appellation on 27 December 1982, making it among the first AVAs of California, Napa Valley being the first.

Mendocino County wine

The Mendocino County wine is an appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Mendocino County, California. The region is part of the larger North Coast AVA and one of California's largest and most climatically diverse wine growing regions. Mendocino County is one of the northernmost commercial wine grape regions in the state with two distinct climate zones separated by the Mendocino Range. Ten American Viticultural Areas have been designated within Mendocino County. Mendocino is one of the leading wine growing regions for organically produced wine grapes. Nearly 25% of the acreage in Mendocino County is grown organically. In 2004, the residents of the county voted to become the first GMO-free county in the United States in an initiative that was supported by many of the county's largest wineries. The county's widespread focus on organic viticulture has inspired journalists to describe it as "California's organic wine Mecca".

Sonoma County wine wine made in Sonoma County

Sonoma County wine is wine made in Sonoma County, California, in the United States.

Dry Creek Valley AVA California wine region

The Dry Creek Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, located northwest of the town of Healdsburg. The valley is formed by Dry Creek, a tributary of the Russian River, and is approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. The appellation benefits from the proximity of the Lake Sonoma reservoir for irrigation in this relatively dry area.

North Coast AVA

The North Coast AVA is an American Viticultural Area in the state of California that encompasses grape-growing regions in six counties located north of San Francisco: Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano. This large appellation covers over 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) and includes a number of smaller sub-appellations that all share the common ecology trait of weather affected by the cool fog and breezes of the Pacific Ocean.

Sonoma Valley AVA American wine region

The Sonoma Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States which centers on the Sonoma Valley in the southern portion of the county. The appellation is bordered by two mountain ranges: the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west.

The Mendocino AVA is an American Viticultural Area encompassing Mendocino County, California. Within this larger appellation are several smaller AVAs, and applications are pending with the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to create new AVAs out of the Sanel and Ukiah valleys along the Russian River. The Mendocino AVA is known for the cultivation of Mediterranean climate grapes including Carignan, Charbono, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Zinfandel. The cooler climate in the Anderson Valley is known for its Pinot noir and sparkling wine production. Many wineries in nearby Sonoma and Napa counties purchase Mendocino grapes to blend into wines labeled with other appellations.

Diamond Mountain District AVA winemaking region

The Diamond Mountain District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in California's Mayacamas Mountains in the northwest portion of the Napa Valley AVA. The appellation sits at a higher elevation than most of Napa Valley's wine region, resulting in less cool fog coming in from San Pablo Bay, and more direct exposure to sunlight. The soil of this AVA is volcanic and very porous which allows it to cool down quickly despite the increased sunlight.

Spring Mountain District AVA

The Spring Mountain District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Napa Valley AVA in California. Spring Mountain District AVA was officially established as an American Viticulture Area in 1993. Encompassed within its bounds are about 8,600 acres (3,480 ha), of which about 1,000 acres (400 ha) are planted to vineyards. Given the small crop yields on hillsides, the region represents less than 2% of Napa Valley wine. Currently the region has just over 30 winegrowers.

California wine wine from California

California wine is wine made in the U.S. state of California, it supplies a vast majority of the American wine production, along with New Mexico wine these American wine regions are longtime examples of viticulture within New World wine. Almost three quarters the size of France, California accounts for nearly 90 percent of production, the production of wine in California is one third larger than that of Australia. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer.

Napa County wine is wine made in Napa County, California, United States. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The vast majority of Napa County is covered by the boundaries of the world-famous Napa Valley AVA, an American Viticultural Area, and its various sub-appellations. The portion of the county that falls outside of the boundaries of the Napa Valley AVA is northeast of the Chiles Valley AVA, where few grapes are cultivated.

Calistoga AVA an American Viticultural Area: a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States

The Calistoga AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the northern portion of California's Napa Valley AVA. The appellation is distinguished by its volcanic soil, high temperatures up to 100 °F (38 °C) during the day, and cool nights during the growing season due to breezes from the Russian River, causing the highest diurnal temperature variation in the Napa Valley—up to 50 °F (28 °C).

References

  1. ↑ Elkjer, Thom (2002). Fodor's Escape to the Wine Country: California's Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino. Fodor's. ISBN   978-0-679-00918-4.
  2. ↑ Michael Chiarello, Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking: Wine Country Recipes for Family and Friends, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California.
  3. ↑ Whitesides, Mary (2004). Wine Country: Architecture and Interiors. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith.
  4. ↑ Molly Chappellet, Gardens of the Wine Country, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California.
  5. 1 2 "Fodor's California Wine Country Online". 2006.
  6. ↑ Appelation America.com
  7. ↑ "Lake County wine industry is ready for takeoff". 2016-05-15. Archived from the original on 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  8. ↑ Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Part 9: American Viticultural Areas.
  9. ↑ Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 4.25(a).
  10. ↑ Stewart, Suzanne B., Time before Time: Prehistory and Archaeology in the Lake Sonoma Area. Sacramento, CA: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1985.
  11. ↑ Charles Sullivan, Zinfandel: A History of a Grape and Its Wine, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2003.
  12. ↑ Thomas Fuller, Richard Perez-Pena, Jonah Engel Bromwich (October 10, 2017). "Wildfires Burn Out of Control Across Northern California; 17 Are Dead". The New York Times . Retrieved October 11, 2017.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Sonoma Creek Watershed Limiting Factors Analysis, Sonoma Ecology Center, with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, December 2004.
  14. ↑ Bland, Alastair (November 18, 2019). "Wine Moguls Destroy Land And Pay Small Fines As Cost Of Business, Say Activists". NPR News. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  15. ↑ San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program Fifth Year Report pg 19
  16. ↑ Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals
  17. ↑ California's woodlands
  18. ↑ Wildlife:The Importance of Hardwood Habitat for Wildlife in California, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1987
  19. ↑ http://www.winecountrytourshuttle.com/napa_valley_wine_tours.htm
  20. ↑ Bernstein, Sondra (2004). The Girl & the Fig Cookbook: More than 100 Recipes from the Acclaimed California Wine Country Restaurant. ISBN   0-7432-5521-6.
  21. ↑ Trancas Road/California State Route 29 Intersection Improvements
  22. ↑ "Napa planners support Airbnb-type home rental ordinance". napavalleyregister.com. Sep 4, 2015.

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