There is a vocal group of Napa aficionados who seem to be hooked on a couple dozen larger wineries in Napa Valley. I don't know how widespread this is, so I may be here with some earthshaking news.
Napa has nearly 500 wineries producing 1,700 wine brands. Yes, I said one thousand seven hundred different labels. Holy crap! There are 400 wineries with tasting rooms, plus dozens more "urban" tasting rooms, most of them in downtown Napa. This could be shocking news, too!
One of the decisions to make when taking a trip is what geographic area to stay. Going to Hawaii? First, pick an island, then where on that island. It's the same for Sonoma County, primarily because it's large and the wineries and other attractions are spread out. The county is bigger than our smallest state, Rhode Island.
The following are the most popular towns you might consider for your lodging and why you might or might not what to choose a particular location. Some towns will be closer to certain wine appellations and farther from others. So, for instance, if your primary goal is pinot noir, this can change where you'd stay for shorter driving distances.
Q: As Napa tasting fees and Cabernet Sauvignon prices climb higher, what will we "normal" people do?
A: Visit and/or buy Cab from other growing regions.
So where might that be? The big winner could be Sonoma County, largely because it's located right next door to Napa and is equally accessible to the area's biggest market, the Bay Area. For buyers at the local store, Sonoma is probably the second most recognizable U.S. name for Cab after Napa.
When you look around the vineyards and wineries of Sonoma County you see names like Foppiano, Seghesio, Sebastiani, Teldeschi, Balletto, Battaglini, and those written about in this article in the Press Democrat.
In the late 19th century, word got back to northern Italy from the first immigrants that Sonoma County's landscape and small towns looked a lot like their ancestral home and the climate for farming was about the same. They brought their love of wine and, just as important, their recipes because we still have many great Italian restaurants.
Italian Winegrowers in Sonoma County from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
 |
| Art Ibletto, the late great Pasta King as he was known locally His 90th birthday was a big bash at the county fairgrounds where everybody ate Art's spaghetti |
As someone who has worked in a tasting room, there are questions that have been asked multiple times. Most are "how many" type questions.
How about a glass of history?
An old vineyard would probably be considered something planted in the 1960s or earlier. Sometimes the descriptor ancient vineyards is used for pre-Prohibition vines. Note that there is no legal definition for what can be called an old or ancient vineyard. Here are a few of the oldies that I'm familiar with in Sonoma County.
You may be a wine snob and not know it. Here are some signs to help you realize what your friends already know.
Wine grapes are like the canary in the coal mine for climate change. Vitus vinifera, the common grape vine that produces the world's premium wines, have a fairly narrow band of climate area they do well in. Within these climate zones, particular regions will grow Cabernet while others grow Chardonnay and so on.
In Sonoma County, there are cooler regions for grapes such a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cabernet, Zinfandel, and most other grapes would not ripen where Chard and Pinot do. Likewise, the best Cab regions are too hot to make quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
So as the climate changes and temperatures rise, wine grapes will be some of the first to suffer.
Your average American's view of wine etiquette:
The poll was conducted by OnePoll in the U.S. for Woodbridge (part of Mondavi which is owned by Constellation Brands). I'm not sure how the respondents were selected.
