California Wines

California accounts for nearly 90 percent of American wine production. The production in California alone is one third larger than that of Australia. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth-largest wine producer. California is one of the most diverse wine regions in the world, with almost 100 grape varietals grown in almost 100 viticultural areas.

Wine is grown in 48 of the state’s 58 counties.  The state has 108 American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs.  AVAs are federally recognized winegrowing regions, defined by geographic, climatic and historic features.  AVAs as well as areas defined by political boundaries, such as county or state names, can both be on the wine label indicating the geographic origin or appellation of the grapes.  More than 2,800 wineries populate these diverse regions, many of which remain multi-generational family businesses, and all dedicated to the sustainable production of high quality wines. 

Some of the major or more well-known wine producing regions are Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley, Caneros, Central Coast and Paso Robles.

California's most common grape varieties in are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel.
 

Napa Valley

Napa Valley is home to over 300 wineries. Its growers and vintners combine cutting-edge science with traditional techniques to produce world-class wines. Just 30 miles long and a few miles wide, Napa Valley is home to diverse microclimates and soils uniquely suited to the cultivation of a number of fine wine varietals. Grape varieties in this small region include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc.

Some of the well known Napa Valley wineries are: Beringer, Bryant Family Vineyards, Cain Vineyard & Winery, Cakebread Cellars, Chateau Montelena Winery, Clos du Val, Colgin Cellars, Dominus Estate, Duckhorn Vineyards, Far Niente, Frank Family Vineyards, Grgich Hills Estate, Harlan Estate, Hendry, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Keenan Winery, Lewis Cellars, Mount Veeder Winery, Neal Family Vineyards, Opus One, O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery, Ovid Vineyards, Pride Mountain Vineyards, Quintessa, Robert Mondavi Winery, Saintsbury, Schrader Cellars, Screaming Eagle, Shafer Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stags' Leap Winery and The Terraces.
 

Sonoma Valley

Sonoma Valley (also known as The Valley of the Moon) in the southern portion of the county. The appellation is bordered by two mountain ranges: the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west.

Sonoma County’s has a lot of winemaking history and is known for its unique terroir, with Sonoma Mountain protecting the area from the wet and cool influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The cool air that does affect the region comes northward from the Los Carneros region and southward from the Santa Rosa Plain.

Some of the wines from Sonoma Valley include: St Francis Winery, Arrowood Vineyards and Winery, Benziger Family Winery, Chateau St. Jean, Kamen Estate Wines, Kenwood Vineyards, Ravenswood Winery, Robert Stemmler Winery and Sebastiani Vineyards.
 

Russian River Valley

The Russian River Valley climate is affected by cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean a few miles to the west. Much like the tide, it ebbs and flows through the channel cut by the Russian River through the coastal hills called the Petaluma Wind Gap. The fog usually arrives in the evening, often dropping the temperature 35 to 40 degrees from its daytime high, and retreats to the ocean the following morning. This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor over an extended growing season - often 15 to 20 percent longer than neighboring areas, while retaining their all-important natural acidity.

Some of the wines from Russian River Valley include: Davis Bynum Winery, De Loach Vineyards, Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery, J Vineyards & Winery, Kendall-Jackson, La Crema Winery, Marimar Estate Vineyards, Paul Hobbs Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars, Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Wild Hog Vineyard and Willams Selyem Winery.
 

Carneros

One of the world’s premier winegrowing regions, Los Carneros – “The Ram” in Spanish – is located less than 40 minutes from San Francisco, Marin County, the East and North Bays. Sacramento and the South Bay are both just a short distance further. A cool climate appellation, Carneros has long been known for its unassailable Chardonnays, elegant Pinot Noirs and its sparkling wines. In recent years, Carneros has been recognized for the quality of its Syrah, its Merlot and new varietals now emerging throughout the appellation.


Some of the wines from Carneros include: Acacia, Domaine Carneros, Etude Wines, Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, Kent Rasmussen Winery, MacRostie Winery, Patz & Hall, Robert Stemmler, Saintsbury, Schug Caneros Estate Winery and ZD Wines
 

Central Coast

The Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) stretches roughly 250 miles along the coastline of California, from San Francisco County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south, averaging about 25 miles in width. A very large AVA, the Central Coast encompasses approximately five million acres, of which 90,300 acres are planted to winegrapes. The region produces almost 15 percent of the state's total winegrape production and is home to about 360 wineries.

Central Coast is divided into sub-regions of San Francisco Bay, Monterey and San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Paso Robles AVA is the largest within the Central Coast with over 600,000 acres.