Sonoma Plaza
Historically, the Franciscan fathers at Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma planted the first vineyards in California in 1824.
Sonoma Valley is an American Viticultural Area located within Sonoma County and centered around the Sonoma Valley (also known as The Valley of the Moon).
Nearby, Sonoma also produces some fine wines, with reds again predominating. Top AVAs here include the Alexander Valley and Sonoma Valley.
Nalle 2002 Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($19.99)
This very dark reddish-purple wine breathes luscious, typically Zin "bramble fruit" aromas of blackberries and raspberries, with a faint, pleasantly herbal back note that adds complexity.
Sonoma
Not far from San Francisco and to the left of Napa Valley, there is Sonoma, one of the most important wine areas in California.
Sonoma: A coastal county north of San Francisco and one of the top wine producing areas of California. Many Sonoma wines are fully as acceptable, qualitywise, as the finest of Napa Valley.
Sonoma, Sierra Foothills, Mendocino and the Lake Counties, San Francisco Bay area and Napa Valley
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Sonoma County
Due west of Napa, Sonoma County is a large, high-quality winegrowing region that supports a diverse array of grape varieties.
Sonoma County's Grape Camp lets you experience the thrill of the harvest for three full days! St. Supery's Harvest Adventure features grape stomping and wine tasting.
The Sonoma County Grape Growers' Association has an article detailing the players and events which impacted the development of California wine and Sonoma County Wine History.
2009 Sonoma county California Simi vineyards Chardonnay
2008 Talbott Logan Chardonnay Monterey, California white wine
2007 Ferrari Carano Chardonnay
Fact or Fiction: Is Wine Healthy For You?
World's Oldest Winery Discovered in Cave ...
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Benziger Family Winery--Family owned and operated winery at the base of Sonoma Mountin in Jack London's Valley of the Moon.
Beringer Vineyards
Bianchi Vineyards
Black Mesa Winery ...
The Alexander Valley in Northern California's Sonoma County is home to at least 40 wineries. Some of the most famous names in American wine come from this region, including Clos du Bois, Gallo and Francis Ford Coppola wines.
The Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and other cooler areas of the north coast region produce the best wines. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the most prestigious, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
In Sonoma, many wineries - especially the smaller, more charming ones - are open only on weekends, or Friday through Sunday. Either way, go to wineries early. Many open at 10 a.m.
Dry Creek Vineyard 2003 Old Vines Zinfandel - Sonoma County, California
Ravenswood 2003 Teldeschi Vineyard Zinfandel - Sonoma County, California
Ridge 2003 York Creek Zinfandel - Sonoma County, California ...
In California, for instance, go beyond Napa and Sonoma, both world-class winemaking regions, and venture into areas like the Central Valley where you'll be surprised by the quantum leap in the quality of some wines there.
There he founded the Buena Vista winery in Sonoma, which is still in operation today. In 1861 he contrived to be sent to Europe by the Spanish governor of California in order to obtain cuttings of various wine grapes.
The Geilweilerhof database (above) lists over 60 synonym names for this variety, including Osterreicher and Sonoma Riesling. Widely grown in the Alsace region of France, Germany and Central Europe.
The grapes for this wine come from Sonoma County (duh) - specifically, from Alexander Valley, Russian River, and Carneros. The wine was aged in oak barrels for six months prior to bottling.
Of the various wine regions (now more than 20), Napa and Sonoma lead the quality stakes, but are being challenged by upcoming regions such as the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Ynez Valley.
The winning wine was the Grgich Hills Wine Cellar Sonoma County Chardonnay 1977, which was the new winery's very first vintage.
Cépage: French term for grape varietal... One of our favorites: Cinq Cépage by Sonoma's Chateau St. Jean, meaning "five grapes."
Citric Acid: A predominate acid in a wine.
Claret: An English term referring to Bordeaux reds.
Zellerbach opened a new winery in Sonoma, dedicated to and named after his wife Hannah and modeled in great detail after the architecture and methods of Clos de Vougeot in Burgogne ("Burgundy"), France.
AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA (AVA): An grape-growing area that has officially been given appellation status by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Examples are Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, yet many AVA's are considerably smaller in size.
Used to create the magnificent blended wines of the Bordeaux region of France, and rival reds of the Sonoma and Napa counties of northern California, best drunk mature at five to ten years. Also grown successfully on Long Island, New York.
Plantings in the cooler regions of Napa and Sonoma have produced some successful examples. In Washington State, producers have been experimenting with plantings of Barbera in the Red Mountain, Walla Walla, and Columbia Valley AVAs.
Sonoma County Road Trip
Châteauneuf du Pape - Ask the Wine Maker #5
Châteauneuf du Pape - Ask the Wine Maker #4
Châteauneuf du Pape - Ask the Wine Maker #3
Châteauneuf du Pape - Ask the Wine Maker #2 ...
As the name implies, a forward wine, even "outrageous," that's anything but subtle. More often than not, I'll use this term in an approving way for a wine that's memorable. Adam Lee's wonderful Siduri 1995 Rose Vineyard Sonoma Pinot Noir, for example.
Custom Wine Recipes: Amy Sherman, author of top-ranked blog Cooking with Amy and a Williams-Sonoma cookbook, develops every recipe specifically for each wine, so her wine/recipe pairs create the perfect blend of food and wine flavors.
American Viticultural Area (AVA): A delimited, geographical grapegrowing area that has officially been given appellation status by the Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Two examples of AVAs are Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley.
Scharvaner, Botzinger, Silvain Vert, Gentil Vert, Picardon Blanc, Clozier, Gruner Zierfandl, Fleigentraube, Gros-Rhin, Silvania, Zelena Sedmogradka, Silvanai Zelini, Zeleny, Zoldsilvani, Cynifal, Moravka, Silvanske, Monterey Riesling, Sonoma Riesling, ...
It does especially well in regions with warm,dry conditions and a long growing season such as California's Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Paso Robles and in Chile, Argentina and South Africa.
Chablis is crisp and minerally, Mersault is nutty and rich, and Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley tends to be ripe and mouth-filling with a touch of toasty oak. Chardonnay is also used for sparkling wine production from Champagne to Sonoma.
 See also: Wine, Region, Grape, Napa, Vineyard
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