California

One of the largest wine-growing regions in California (North Coast region) in the USA, and also one of the most important in historical terms. It is sub-divided into AVA’s and Sub-AVA’s, some of which overlap. Without for the moment considering the hierarchical structure, the AVA’s in alphabetical order are: Alexander Valley, Alexander Mountain, Bennett Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, Knights Valley, Los Carneros, Northern Sonoma, Rockpile, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County Green Valley, Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Valley. There is no all-encompassing AVA designation. The region is located north of San Francisco, and lies between Napa County and the Pacific ocean. Climatic conditions vary from warm in the north (climatic region III) to cool (influenced by the ocean) in the south (I). Soils are extremely varied, and consist of clay, limestone, alluvial soils and volcanic soils. The vineyard area totals around 23.000 hectares, mostly on level ground or on gentle hilly terrain, at an average altitude of 120 metres above sea level. The main grape varieties planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel, Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. There is an equal split between red and white wines. The popular uprising that led to Alta California being separated from Mexico in 1856, and subsequently joining the USA, had its origins in Sonoma Valley. Before that, general Mariano Vallejo (1808-1890), the last Mexican governor, had run a wine estate here, and was the first large-scale wine farmer. The famous doyen of Californian wine, Agoston Haraszthy (1812-1869), founded his Buena Vista Winery in this region.

The Miwok indians referred to Sonoma Valley as the „Valley of the many moons”, as the moon would rise seven times while they crossed the valley and the Mayacama mountains. The valley runs parallel to the Napa valley to the east, its perpetual competitor. The valley is bounded by steep mountains on both sides. The climatic conditions make it an excellent area for the production of red wines. The most important grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Right up to the 1970’s, mainly basic wines were produced in Sonoma County, used for blending in mass production wines. The movement towards improved quality was initiated by the Simi estate. There were only 60 wine estates in the region in 1970, while today there are more than 200. It is regarded as the most important centre of the Californian wine industry, next to Napa Valley. The famous writer Jack London (1876-1916) was born in San Francisco, and maintained a ranch near Glen Ellen in Sonoma County. Today his former property is run by the state, and is still used for agricultural purposes, including grape production. Jack London wrote about the area: „The air is like wine. Shrouds of fog from the ocean drift over the Sonoma mountains. The afternoon sun glows in a sleepy sky. I have all I need to be happy.” Well-known producers include Buena Vista Winery, Bronco Wine Company, Clos du Bois, Gallo, Gundlach-Bundschu, Hanzell, Iron Horse, Jordan, Kendall-Jackson, Kenwood, Korbel, Louis M. Martini, Ridge Vineyards, Sebastiani and Simi.