Wine Tour
California

California is the third Largest state in the U.S., encompassing 255,516 square kilometers or 822,106 hectares - about half the size of France. With more than 900 wineries and 4,400 grape growers, California produces more than 90% of all US wine and is the 4th largest wine producer in the world, right behind France, Italy and Spain.Both red and white wines are produced in California. Of the some 190,000 ha of winegrape vineyards, 83,000 ha. are planted to white winegrape varieties and 107,000 ha are planted to red winegrape varieties. The main grape varieties used are :
-for white wines : Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Riesling.
-for red wines : Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Grenache and Zinfandel, the latter being unique to California.Winegrapes are grown in 45 of California's 58 counties which are gathered in 5 different wine-growing areas :
-the Northern Coast with 7 counties and 31 AVAs (American Viticultural Area)
-the Central Coast with 9 counties and 24 AVAs,
-the Southern Coast with 4 counties and 2 AVAs,
-Central Valley with 8 counties and 5 AVAs,
-Sierra Foothills with 8 counties and 4 AVAs.The most well known wine-growing areas are certainly Napa Valley and Sonoma, both located on the Northern California Coast.

Napa Valley
Bounded on both sides by mountains, Napa Valley, America's premier wine-growing appellation, is 30 miles long and a few miles wide at its broadest point - just 1/8 the size of Bordeaux, France - and the vineyard extends on 16,300 hectares.
To the Wappo indians who first inhabited the valley, Napa meant "a land of plenty".In 1836, George Calvert Yount was the first settler to plant vineyards in the valley. But phylloxera at the end of the 19th century and Prohibition at the beginning of the 20th century postponed the development of Napa Valley wine business for over 50 years.
Today, the 232 wineries established in this wine-growing area combine cutting-edge science with traditional techniques and thus contribute to Napa Valley's international reputation for producing top-quality wines.The valley offers a rare diversity of microclimates which is ideal for growing fine wine grapes, singular in their intensity, complexity and balance.
While Cabernet - the acknowledged king of red grapes - and Chardonnay are the most widely planted, the Valley holds many suprises for wine lovers. For instance, Shyraz among the reds, Viognier among whites, and Italian Varietals, chiefly Sangiovese, are increasingly popular.The Napa Valley is itself an appellation. However, within the Napa Valley, the vintners and growers have currently defined 12 different AVAs - American Viticultural Area - which include Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, Saint-Helena, Spring Mountain Stags Leap District and Wild Horse Valley. Today, new AVA's within Napa Valley still continue to emerge.

Sonoma
Grapes and wine have always been integrated to Sonoma County's history. As early as 1812, Russian colonists planted and cultivated grapes but it was the Spanish Franciscan Fathers who laid the foundation for the wine industry in the 1820's.
Today, there are over 200 wineries - up from 58 in 1969 - and the wine industry contributes nearly $3 billion to the local economy.
Sonoma County offers a wholesome diversity of growing regions where, curiously, north is “hot” and south is “cool”. Sonoma wine-growing area which covers 19,800 ha. is therefore divided into various appellations.
Alexander Valley combines warm climate and the influence of the Russian River to produce robust red and rich white wines.
The rich soils and hot temperatures found in Dry Creek Valley allow vintners to grow distinctive Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc wines.
Both Knights Valley and Chalk Hill produce great Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes while Pinot noir and Chardonnay grapes are mainly grown in Sonoma-Carneros, Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley, where the climate is cool in the morning with fog coming from the Ocean and warm in the afternoon.
Finally, Sonoma Valley vineyards offer a wide range of classic red and white wines.

For more information about Californian wines please contact :

Wine Institute of California International Department
425 Market Street, Suite 1000
San-Francisco, CA 94105
USAPhone: 1-415-512-0151
Fax : 1-415-512-8416
Web : Wine Institute

View the list of winery located in California

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