WINES of the USA - California California Overview The Capital is Sacramento. The population is 37 million. There are 1,367 Wineries (True facilities of Brick & Mortar) and about 4,500 grape growers. 556,000 acres of vineyards are planted. There were 2.7 million tons of crush in 2008 and 2 billion liters of production per year. California Wine Sales in the U.S. reached a record high of 441 million gallons in 2008. California contains over 100 American Viticultural Areas or AVA’s. California contains a variety of micro-climates capable of producing grapes. At a glance, the state receives sufficient sunshine to ripen grapes and produce the necessary sugar for fermentation. It is not as susceptible to freezing conditions found in other wine producing states and the lower levels of humidity it receives minimizes damage that could occur from mold. Finally, cool sea breezes cool the crops in many of the states river valley areas. Red Grapes Include: Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Zinfandel Pinot Noir Syrah Rubired Grenache and Barbera White Grapes Include: Chardonnay French Colombard Sauvignon Blanc Chenin Blanc Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris Muscat and Viognier Quality pyramid pertaining to appellation of wines from California. AVA - Grapes are from a designated area County - Grapes are sourced from a single county Multi - County - Grapes are sourced from two or more counties California – 100% of the grapes used to produce wine must originate from within its borders AVA’s in California AVA’s existing in California, there are five regional level, or super AVA’s, within the state. These are very large appellations covering broad land areas. Each are characterized by being contiguous, rather than by their uniformity of geology or climate and each contains several counties, many of which are famous AVA’s in their own right. Take a moment to review the location of the five Regional Level AVA’s….North Coast, San Francisco Bay, Central Coast, Sierra Foothills and South Coast. Paula Woolsey CSW 2010 North Coast There are four major AVA’s within the North Coast regional AVA. They are the Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake American Viticultural Areas. The North Coast AVA is home to nearly half of California’s 100 plus AVA’s. Napa County AVA Probably the best known production area within all of California is Napa County. This county is located 50 miles north of San Francisco and is an extremely popular tourist destination. Running 35 miles north to south, it ends just above San Pablo Bay and the city of Vallejo. The valley area is hemmed in by mountains to the North, West and East, with the San Pablo Bay to the South. Napa County is home to over 200 wineries, yet despite its fame, only produces about 5 percent of the state's total volume. Napa County includes the Napa Valley, an AVA of major significance, and which contains the well known sub-AVA's of: Atlas Peak Chiles Valley Diamond Mountain Howell Mountain Los Carneros – (shared with Sonoma County) Mount Veeder Oakville Rutherford Spring Mountain District St. Helena Stags Leap District Wild Horse Valley Yountville Famous Faces from Napa Jacob and Frederick Beringer - purchased 215 acres of Napa Valley land in 1875 and then spent the next few years building their winery, cellars and home which today are historical landmarks on Route 29 running through the Napa Valley. They went on to produce some of the most renowned wines from California in the latter 19th and early 20th century. Georges de Latour established Beaulieu Vineyards in 1900 and was influential in bringing louse-resistant root stock to the Napa Valley. Andr Tchelistcheff was brought to the winery in 1938 from France, and went on to become one of the most influential Winemakers in the U.S. for the next 50 years. Robert Mondavi established his winery with his eldest son Michael in 1966 at Oakville. He went on to champion the labeling of wine by varietal type rather than area of origin. His name has been synonymous with the finest wines made in California over the last 30 years. In 1981, he went into partnership with Chateau Mouton Rothschild to produce Opus One, a truly world- class Cabernet Sauvignon. As already mentioned, the Napa Valley is California's most famous wine region, but is barely 20 miles long from north to south. Approximately 22,500 acres are planted in red grapes versus 13,000 acres planted in white. Of the acreage devoted to red grapes, 16,831 acres are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. This varietal produces the "King" of California's red wines, much of it coming from the Oakville, Rutherford and Stags Leap AVA's. The valley is also known for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the cool climate area of Carneros. Paula Woolsey CSW 2010 Sonoma County AVA Sonoma County, along with Napa County, is rich in historical significance and is home to California's oldest wineries. AVA's in this county vary significantly in size and overlap irregularly. There is a strong influence of the Pacific Ocean which brings morning fog and cool breezes inward to blanket the well known Russian River Valley AVA. Cool climate varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive in this area. Sonoma County contains approximately 36,000 acres of vineyards, many garnering the same type of adulation usually reserved for the Napa Valley. Click on each tab to learn more about Sonoma County. Sonoma County AVA's include the major AVA of Northern Sonoma, which contains the sub-AVA's of: Alexander Valley Bennett Valley Dry Creek Valley Knight's Valley Rockpile Russian River Valley - which contains the sub-AVA's of Chalk Hill and Green Valley Sonoma Coast Sonoma Valley - which contains the sub-AVA's of Los Carneros, shared with Napa County, and Sonoma Mountain Famous Faces from Sonoma Valley Agoston Haraszthy established Buena Vista, the state's first European-styled winery in Sonoma in 1857. Sometimes referred to as the "Father of the California Wine Industry", he is credited with bringing European root stock to the United States. Mendocino AVA Mendocino County AVA, one of California’s largest and climatically diverse areas. All of its approximately 11,000 acres of vineyards are located in the river valley areas in the southern half of the county. It is the most northerly of the major viticultural coastal counties and is known for having one of California’s coolest climate areas that produces high quality Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Riesling along with quality reds in Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. It is also home to several wineries known for their high-quality sparkling wines. Mendocino County AVA’s include: Anderson Valley, Cole Ranch, Mendocino, McDowell Valley, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley and Yorkville Highlands Lake County AVA Lake County, itself an AVA and bordered by Mendocino county to the west, Sonoma and the Napa Valley to the south, and the Central Valley to the east. This is the smallest viticultural region within California’s North Coast, and winemaking in this county pretty much died out with the advent of Prohibition. AVA’s in Lake County have Clear Lake, California’s largest lake, at its center. Only 3,000 acres of vineyards are planted and spread amongst a small population of wineries. Much of the production from this area is sold to wineries outside the county itself. Lake County AVA’s include Benmore Valley, Clear Lake and Guenoc Valley. Paula Woolsey CSW 2010 San Francisco AVA The San Francisco Bay Area AVA features a maritime climate, influenced by the Pacific Ocean directly westward. Climate benefits include fog plus low-lying cloud cover and cooler overall temperatures. The cool, coastal fog penetrates inward until it hits the mountainous area east of San Francisco. Temperatures in areas on the eastern side of these mountains tend to be substantially warmer than those to the west. The impact of fog can make the difference between areas that are too hot to grow premium grapes and those that are too cold and better suited for lettuce. Counties within the San Francisco Bay Area include San Francisco, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. AVA’s within these counties include: the Livermore Valley AVA, a hot region in the hills southeast of Oakland, the Santa Clara Valley AVA, running east and southeast of San Jose and the San Ysidro District AVA, located within the southern tip of the Santa Clara Valley. Central Coast Region and AVAs The Central Coast region includes these counties running North to South: Monterey San Benito San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Monterey County covers 80 miles of Pacific coastline area (San Benito, to the east, runs parallel to the county) Primary AVA: Monterey Secondary AVA's: Arroyo Seco Chalone Santa Lucia Highlands San Lucas Hames Valley Other Small AVA's: San Benito Paicines Mount Harlan Cienega Valley Lime Kiln Valley Pacheco Pass San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties The two major counties that comprise the Central Coast Region are San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Paso Robles is the largest AVA within these two counties and is one of California's oldest production areas, dating to 1797. Paso Robles covers the inland portion of the northern half of San Luis Obispo County and is cut off from the benefit of ocean breezes by the mountains directly to the west. Consequently, this is the hottest part of the Central Coast and best known for red varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel. Other AVA's within the Central Coast include: York Mountain Edna Valley - making prized Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Arroyo Grande - an area for Sparkling wines Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys Paula Woolsey CSW 2010 Monterey AVA Monterey San Benito San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Monterey County covers 80 miles of Pacific coastline area (San Benito, to the east, runs parallel to the county) Primary AVA: Monterey Secondary AVA's: Arroyo Seco Chalone Santa Lucia Highlands San Lucas Hames Valley Other Small AVA's: San Benito Paicines Mount Harlan Cienega Valley Lime Kiln Valley Pacheco Pass Central Valley Region and AVAs The Central Valley Region is comprised of a huge expanse of land, stretching 500 miles from the city of Redding to Bakersfield.