California Wine Country

Mention California Wine Country and people will conjure up a picture of a state covered with vineyards and bucolic countryside landscapes that beckons wine lovers to visit. In reality the whole state really isn't the land of milk and honey and full of Cabernet Sauvignon. Remember the state is overdosed with diverse climates and geological topography, not all of it conducive to vineyards. There's the heat and sun of Death Valley that is unsuitable for lizards, much less Syrah vines. The bone chilling cold of the High Sierras will get most people scurrying for their goose down comforters and leaves nary a chance for even the hardiest of grape to sprout. That's not to dampen your spirit; the state produces more than 90 per cent of the wine in the United States and carries the banner for this country's wine throughout the rest of the world. Regardless that grapes don't grow just anywhere, there are several wine regions from the north to the south and as far east as the Sierra foothills that do. That doesn't automatically qualify these regions as California Wine Country, that term connotes a destination that captures the spirit and lifestyle of the winemakers, the growers, the community, and the earth. It exudes an ambiance and alluring atmosphere of wine that attracts people in search for their joie de vivre. These are hospitable places where people go to escape—to visit local wineries, soak up the atmosphere, cozy up in a small country inn or B&B for a weekend, savor fine dining at a forked restaurant, go antiquing, take a balloon ride, go bicycling, take a hike, play golf, get the kinks worked out at a spa or buried under mud, and perhaps buy a few bottles of a wine they've never had that they got a thrill from tasting. Not all places that grow grapes and make wine do that. But in California's case, the Golden State has been blessed with more than its fair share of great places to visit.

So, where is this California Wine Country everyone talks about? The majority of grapes are grown in the Central and San Joaquin Valleys, a north to south swath of agricultural terrain that cuts almost the length of the state. This is the farming basket for the state and its economy. This is where Gallo's Modesto roots are, where Mondavi's Woodbridge wines are stuck in Lodi again. And while around 75% of all grapes crushed in California happen in the Central Valley, most are to make generic and inexpensive wine with some designated varietals shipped off to other wineries outside of the region to be blended with higher echelon wines. Does that make the Central Valley a part of the California wine country? Fat chance. It's not a destination spot where people trip to for wine-tasting. With no offense aimed at the Central Valley, it's the proletariat wine growing region versus the aristocratic Napa Valley and Sonoma County. The places that California's prestigious wines are produced are in scattered regions that are within 20-50 miles inland from the Pacific coast or are nestled up in the Sierra foothills east of Sacramento and away from the intense Central Valley heat. The great thing about California is just about any kind of wine can be found here without breaking a sweat.

The following is a short list of the primary California Wine Country destinations that are worth a visit. Well, at least wine destinations according to my highly subjective and hardly quantifiable opinion. I've created a set of criteria to help evaluate and qualify wine country regions which goes as follows: 1) The region produces single varietal wines with many that rate highly with the usual wine critics Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, Wine Enthusiast, and Stephen Tanzer; 2) The region attracts many fine restaurants and eating establishments that incorporate many of the local wines; 3) It's in the country and not an urban area; 4) There are other innumerable indoor and outdoor activities to do besides drink wine; 5) Scenery; 6) There's a wide choice of motels, inns, hotels, and resorts to stay; 7) Charm isn't found under a rock. One additional indicator that it's wine country is if there's an art gallery nearby. Apparently one can't exist without the other, although it doesn't necessarily follow that it's good art or wine.

Everyone's first choice and a no-brainer pick. It's got everything: great wine and wineries, top-rated restaurants, luxury spa resorts, golfing, biking, ballooning, antiquing, shopping, art galleries, and plenty of places to just hang out. Napa is where Cabernet Sauvignon is king but the royal family also includes Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. Nothing is finer than a warm spring day sitting at a table at Joseph Phelps with a lunch bought at Oakville Grocery and sipping a glass of Syrah. The only minus to Napa is that it's everyone's choice to visit and it can get crowded, especially on a summer weekend. And I will join the Greek chorus in singing about how slick and commercialized Napa Valley has become over the years but I'll also confess that I'm always ready to go back.

There are actually two parts to Sonoma, there's the Valley which is sliver over the Mayacamas Mountains to the west of Napa. And then there's the Sonoma County which covers a large territory and includes several different wine AVA's. There's Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Northern Sonoma, and Alexander Valley. Sonoma doesn't get the press and notoriety of its eastern neighbor but they don't want to be Napa. Regardless, some of California's best wines overflow from this diverse wine region. Zinfandel is the virile and lusty kingpin in Dry Creek while Pinot Noir expresses nuance, finesse, and cherry sexiness in Russian River. Rhône style wines excel here as well. The region is less organized than Napa Valley and its spread all over. But, it's also less crowded than Napa Valley and the locals are less upper crusty and if starting in Santa Rosa, you can head west towards the coast, east towards Sonoma Valley (and the town), and north towards Geyserville or Healdsburg without making a wrong turn. South? South on 101 gets you back to San Francisco which isn't a bad turn either.

This is California's most northern wine region and is a bit wilder and woollier than its more staid Napa neighbor to the south, or even Sonoma. The terrain is mountainous, rugged, redwood forested, and influenced more heavily by the Pacific maritime climate. It's also a great place to go visit and explore the wineries of Anderson Valley, McDowell Valley, and Redwood Valley. Visit Roederer Estate for some of the most convincing sparkling wine in California. The region is excellent for Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Rhône blends, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. Some good wineries to visit are Handley, Husch, Greenwood, Lolonis to name drop a few. And if you get tired of riveting wines and feel like a pint of suds, don't think twice about stopping in Boonville for an IPA at Anderson Valley Brewing Company, just for a change of venue. When visiting, don't feel shy about wearing your old bell bottoms, a Grateful Dead shirt, beads, headband, saying, "Groovy" to everything… you'll fit right in.

This is just a hop, skip, and jump from Napa and covers an area near Clearlake to the northwest of the valley. You can reach here easily from Calistoga and it makes a great breakaway for the day. This is a relatively lightly traveled wine country area and the main town in the region is only about 20 miles from Calistoga. Music lover? Check out Konocti Harbor for concerts in Lakeport at Clearlake. Besides that and water skiing and fishing in the lake, much of the grapes grown here are for the likes of Beringer and Kendall-Jackson but there are are handful of wineries to visit. Check out Langtry Estate in Guenoc Valley and named after the "Jersey Lily," Lily Langtry who planted her own vineyards in area back in the late 1800's when she resided here. Steele is another winery to visit and Jed Steele is known for his Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandels and built his reputation at Kendall-Jackson.

This is actually in California's Gold Country east of Sacramento in the Sierra Foot-hills. These are located in Amador, Calaveras, and El Dorado Counties. This is a great area to flip-flop between winery visits and historical sites in California's Gold Country. Many of the best wineries are in Shenandoah Valley with Renwood, Sobon Estate, and Shenandoah Vineyards being great places for Zinfandel lovers. Check out Domaine de la Terre Rouge for Rhône style whites and reds. Another option is to look for the Mother Lode but finding a good bottle of wine is a lot easier.

This is the newbie to California's wine country playland. It includes separate chunks of wine regions that dot the landscape throughout Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties. As you would expect they all uniquely offer a little change of pace and alternative panache to the wineries in Northern California.

This is a coastal mountain region that probably has more in common with Mendocino than with Napa Valley. This is one of the wetter regions in California with a heavy dose of cooling Pacific air that meets interior heat. Many of the wineries here source grapes from other regions to make their wines. However, the region is somewhat of an oddity being in the hills just a stone throw away from Silicon Valley. Check out Santa Cruz Mountain Winery Association for a rundown of the wineries here. Many are small privately run ventures. However, some of California's best wine comes out of Randall Grahm's Bonny Doon for mirth and Rhône style wines, Paul Draper's Ridge Winery for Cabernet Sauvignon (think 1976 Paris Tasting), and David Bruce for some excellent Pinot Noir. Warning: Keep an eye out for Banana Slugs.

Danny and Pilon in Steinback's Tortilla Flats used to drink their rotgut vino out of Mason jars. Times have changed. There are many fine wineries to visit around Monterey, Carmel, and towards Soledad although many do not have tasting facilities. But some to try are Chalone near the Pinnacles Monument east of Salinas Valley, Talbott in Carmel Valley for beautiful Chardonnays and Pinot, and Bernardus which doubles as a double whammy rejuvenating winery and spa resort. Golf? Go to the Monterey Peninsula at Pebble or Spanish Bay. Like fish? Go to Monterey's aquarium and then head over to the Sardine Factory for lunch. Take a drive on the 17-Mile Drive and fantasize what it takes to get an address on the road. Take a walk downtown Carmel and browse the shops. As you might expect, there are art galleries.

This is where cowboys put down their red-eye for a glass of Syrah. Twenty years ago this wine country was a sleeper with a lack of understanding for the potential in the soil and climate. The alarm clock went off finally and the vintners roused themselves. The number of wineries flying under the radar in Paso Robles is astounding, plan on at least two days crawling through the backroads between Paso and the coast. Visit Paso Wines for a directory of wineries. Scrumptious Zinfandels, spritely Chardonnays, and meaty Syrah and other Rhône wines. Some good choices are Eberle, Peachy Canyon, Turley (Helen's brother), and Justin to name a few. Keep heading west on Highway 46 and you hit the Pacific Ocean at Cambria. This is a quaint touristy beach town a few miles south from Hearst Castle and north of Morro Bay. There are plenty of art galleries to trip over. Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande are small but wiry wine regions. Stop off at Talley for some lush Chardonnay with personality.

This is Sideways country and best to leave your neurosis at home when visiting. A good starting point here is in Danish style Solvang or the little hamlet of Los Olivos off SR154 that has numerous winery tasting rooms in and about town. You can watch the movie beforehand and try to identify all the points that Miles visited but what's the point. This area between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria has a great many wineries to trip over. Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley are two of the premier AVAs in the area. Santa Barbara Wines will give you the lowdown on wineries in the area. It's worth staying for 2-3 days if you like Pinot Noir and Syrah, actually a week would not be too long either. Some wineries require an appointment so plan ahead. The following are some good choices: Fess Parker, Foley Estates, Melville, Byron, Sanford, Ken Brown, Foxen, and Cambria to name a few.

Lastly, if you get tired of all that wine country action, just head south on the 101 and hang out in Santa Barbara. And if you like art galleries, knock yourself out.

• California Wine Country Trips
• Sonoma County Wine
• Napa Valley Wine Tasting Weekend
• Best Pinot Noirs Under $25
• Best Cabernet Sauvignon Under $25
• Wine Tasting

• Sonoma Winery Tours
• Interesting Facts About Wine
• How to Throw a Wine Tasting Party
• Definitions Of Wine Types
• Is Red Wine Good For You

• Dry Red Wine Types
• Red Wine Calories
• Wine Calories
• Wine Serving Temperatures
• Best Red Wine Under $15

• California Wine Gifts
• California Wine Tour
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• Map of California Wine Country