Tina Caputo - Sonoma County

Today, Sonoma is home to 17 distinctive American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), with the Petaluma Gap projected to become the 18th later in 2017, plus nearly 500 wineries. Over 23,500 ha (58,000 acres) are planted to more than 60 grape varieties (Sonoma County Vintners, 2017). Pinot Noir is the county’s most-planted red grape, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay tops the whites, with Sauvignon Blanc a distant second.

While Sonoma County’s winemaking history predates the Napa Valley’s, it only recently began to emerge from Napa’s shadow. For decades, the Napa Valley got all the glory as a mecca for high-end Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, while Sonoma was known as “that other region”.

Not anymore. Years of experimenting with different vineyard sites and varieties have given growers and vintners a much better handle on what to plant where, and today Sonoma County is considered by many as the state’s best region for cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s even giving Napa Valley a run for its money with Cabernet Sauvignon – especially from mountain vineyard sites.

And thanks to a 2011 “conjunctive labelling” law, which requires the region’s wineries to include “Sonoma County” on its labels in addition to the AVA designation, Sonoma wines are finally getting the recognition they deserve.

We’ll begin our journey in Northern Sonoma, a vast region that includes such superstar American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) as the Russian River Valley and lesser-known gems such as the Green Valley of Russian River, then head over to Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley and the Sonoma Coast before venturing off to the Fountaingrove District and beyond.

Key

P = picnic area • F = food pairings • T = tasting toom •

* = by appointment AVA = American Viticultural Area

( Sonoma County AVA map)

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.