2006-11-17 06:48:49 · 8 answers · asked by Snapper 1 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
There are actually more than 4! I'll list them by popularity, though, so if you're only looking for 4, then the first 4 are it.
Napa Valley - everyone's heard of it, and they produce great big reds and, in the south end, very pretty whites. Most Napa wines, though, are produced from grapes that were grown elsewhere because the valley just isn't big enough to grow everything the public demands.
Sonoma Valley - Right next to Napa, but just as good. If you're going wine-tasting, go here instead of Napa. Less crowds, and less attitude, still great wines.
Paso Robles - Down south, half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, it gets crowds from both. Produces lots of lighter Rhone-style reds, and delicate whites
Santa Cruz Mountains - these are the hills just above San Jose and Silicon Valley. There are some great wines produced here! Ridge, for example, just won the 30 year retasting of the Judgement of Paris.
Santa Ynez - south of Paso Robles. This is where the movie Sideways was set. Great Pinots (as you see from the movie), and very popular with the LA crowd, as it is closer than PR.
Monterey County - being close to the ocean with a cooler climate, produces a lot of lighter reds and fragrent whites.
Amador County - this is actually the gold country with the 1849 rush started. The grapes were originally planted here to supply the miners with something alcoholic to buy with their newfound wealth. Turns out the area is still great for making huge Zinfandels and Barberas, and the oldest vineyards that are still producing are from the 1880s. It shows in the flavour!
Livermore Valley - this is just east of the east side of San Francisco bay. Turns out they have been producing wine grapes here for many, many years, and they are famous for some Petite
Syrahs with bodies bigger than Arnie.
Lodi - this is where Gallo and Gallo gets the bulk of its grapes for those awful jug wines, but it turns out that if you treat the grapes right, and you have a wine maker that knows what they are doing, you can make some spectacular wines from them.
There are a few up-and-coming areas as well, but they are not yet popular as wine-tasting areas and don't have many wineries you can visit. But, look for them in the future! (The east bay, northern Sierra, Colusa County)
Links to maps are included below. Enjoy!
2006-11-17 07:13:11 · answer #1 · answered by Edwin H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Napa - Defined by mountain ranges and a proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Napa Valley enjoys a temperate climate with a long growing season of sunny, warm days followed by cool evenings. Within the Napa Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), there are 14 other AVAs with distinct microclimates and terrains formed by a varied topographical configuration of hills, exposures and elevations. The Napa Valley AVA is also part of the North Coast AVA. Wineries you may know from this region include Beringer, Robert Mondavi and Domaine Chandon
Sonoma - The appellation of Sonoma County totals more than one million acres of land of which 60,000 acres area planted to winegrapes. The county includes 13 distinct AVAs as well as being a part of the North Coast AVA. Wineries you may know in this region include Ravenswood, Gloria Ferrer and Kenwood
Mendocino - Located directly north of Sonoma County and about 90 miles north of San Francisco, the Mendocino wine region is bounded by California’s Coastal Mountain Range, the Pacific Ocean and the great northern redwood forests. This area is known for its Gerwurtztraminer, Cabernets and Zinfandel
2006-11-17 07:23:53 · answer #2 · answered by twistyhair 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do I have to pick just four? There are so many different regions in the state I wouldn't even know where to start. My personal faves are the following:
Central Coast (i.e. Santa Barbara/Paso Robles) - great pinot, zin and chard
Napa - excellent Cab
Carneros - wonderful Chardonnay
Sonoma - great sparkling wine, chardonnay and pinot noir
All of these can be broken down in to many micro climates all with their own areas. Technically Carneros is split between both napa and soma for example.
Hope this helps.
2006-11-17 17:41:17 · answer #3 · answered by Lisa H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Santa Barbara and Mendocino
2006-11-17 06:55:22 · answer #4 · answered by Ken 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, Temecula, Lodi,
2006-11-17 16:42:10 · answer #5 · answered by copestir 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only four? I guess it would be Napa, Sonoma, Carneros and Monterey... but it breaks down a heck of a lot further.
2006-11-17 06:54:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Big as in geographical extent or "big" as in famous for quality? Define your terms!
2006-11-17 07:01:28 · answer #7 · answered by Lisa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What do you want to know?
2016-05-21 23:14:35 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋