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Mendocino County Wine Industry

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History of the Mendocino County Wine Industry

The history of wine production in Mendocino dates back to the mid-19th century. The first Europeans to settle in the region were Russian hunters and trappers. They made their living selling seal and otter pelts.

The Gold Rush caused the population of the San Francisco Bay Area to expand dramatically. The local timber industry took off with the increase in demand for building supplies.

The first grapes were grown during 1850s by failed gold prospectors. The wine produced during this era had a mainly local customer base due to the isolation of the region.

In 1851, the Anderson Valley was discovered by accident. Italian immigrants planted vineyards on the sunny hillsides of the valley during the ensuing generation.
Even when the railroads were extended north, Mendocino’s Wine Industry remained relatively unknown in the national and international markets. Despite the region’s obscurity, there were over 5000 acres of vineyards and several wineries during the late-ninteenth century.

Phylloxera and Prohibition

Most of California Wine Country was hurt by the spread of the Phylloxera Louse in the late 19th century. Despite the damage, the isolated region fared better than some other parts of the state. The industry rebounded after the utilization of Phylloxera resistent rootstocks. In the 1910s, there were close to 6000 acres of vineyards in Mendocino County.

Prohibition was almost a death sentence for the region’s wine industry. With a few isolated exceptions, almost all was lost. A few Zinfandel vineyards in the Mendocino Ridge survived and are thankfully still alive today. However, all of the wineries were closed during Prohibition.

The Parducci Family is credited as being the stewards of the wine industry during the ensuing difficult years. In the 1960s they owned and operated the only winery in the county. It is located near the Redwood Valley.

The Renaissance

The industry began to come alive with the rest of the California wine industry during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968, the Fetzer family established a winery near the McDowell Valley. Finally the Parducci Family had some company. Substantial investment went into planting vineyards, but not much wine was actually produced in Mendocino. Most of the region’s grapes were sold to non-resident wineries and used in faceless blends.

Thankfully, this has changed. There are currently many high-quality wineries in the county. In recent years, the region has gained a reputation for producing many varietals exceptionally well. The practice of shipping grapes to other regions for production lessened as the large AVA’s renown increased. It currently contains over 15,000 acres of planted vineyards.

author:Benjamin Bicais

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Enjoy Colorado Wines

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Enjoy Colorado Wines

Announcing! One of the Best Kept Secrets in the World of Wine…

Do you remember hearing that the best wines are now coming from California?

Forget everything you’ve heard about California wine and listen, on my summer vacation I discovered one of the best wine growing areas in the United States. And it’s not on the West Coast.

As it happens, my daughter asked me to take a trip with her to look at a piece of property on the Western Slope of Colorado that she and her husband were interested in. She needed my expertise with evaluating the condition of the business that accompanied the house and land.

“Just what is this business?” I asked her. She replied that it was a vineyard. I had to think of that for a moment. I have my college degree in horticulture and a vineyard has always been my dream. But I would have never expected this of my daughter.

She knew that I have planted grapes wherever I’ve lived. A few grapevines in the backyard, one or two growing up the side of the house, or a couple hundred to experiment with when I’ve had the land to do it.

Now, I was being told that she wanted to live my dream come true. I questioned her as we drove across the Rocky Mountains towards her new dream. Things like, “Do you know what this is going to take?” “Have you seen me struggle to get my grapes to grow under the Colorado Front Range
conditions?”

As we came down in altitude, entering the Western Slope fruit growing area, I began to understand her desire to own a vineyard and expand it to support a small winery.

This area is truely a fruit growing delight. Vineyards and orchards flowing over the mesas of the Colorado Western Slope region. Cherries, peaches, apples, and of course grapes.

Unlike the eastern side of Colorado, the Western Slope has a climate that is conducive to growing all sorts of fruit crops. The noble European grape, V. vinifera, is well adapted to this fruit growing region.

Now listen closely! The wines I found being made in the small family wineries of the Colorado Western Slope turned out to be pure gems! Why? Because of the warm days and cool nights of this region. This climate is perfect for growing grapes and making award winning wines.

There are also two American Viticulture Areas: the Grand Valley AVA and the West Elks AVA along the Colorado Western Slope. Each producing distinctive wines because of their slightly different climatic conditions.

In Delta County, a cooler climate, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer and other colder-climate German varietals work best. In the warmer Mesa County, Rhône varieties like Syrah and Viognier, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varieties, are suitable.

I’ve sampled the wines from both regions and I have to tell you that I’m love struck with what I found. While the West Elk AVA between Paeonia and Delta seems to produce the best whites, there are also Cab Franc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot wines from that region which are “to die for” wines.

The Grand Valley AVA from Grand Junction to Palisades produces red wines that rival any California reds. The recent trend in this area is to grow more Rhone varieties like Syrah and Viognier and these compliment the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that has long had a reputation in that area. This region also boasts some of the best Chardonnay’s in the state.

Many wineries have vineyards in both viticulture appellation areas. I’ve found that the top wines are blends of grapes grown in both counties. Reisling is a good example of this blending. It can get it fully ripe in Mesa County, with some non-traditional peach and apricot flavors. In Delta County, it’s hard to get it to 20º Brix, but it has this really good acidity and spicy flavor. The blend of the two together gives a hypnotic sensation to your palate.

It’s truely up to the wine maker’s abilities to make the most of the grapes grown in this unique winemaking region.

Just picture this for a moment… The Colorado wine industry is in its infancy. New vineyards and wineries are being added each year as its reputation spreads. The wines made in Colorado are only going to get better as the wine makers learn more about the grapes they are growing and perfect
their trade.

You’re probably wondering where you can find out more about these exciting wines. It just so happens that the Colorado wine industry has a web site at: http://www.coloradowine.com that can lead you to all the Colorado wine information you want.

The next time you’re looking for something new in wine, consider one of the enchanting wines from the Western Slope of Colorado. You won’t be disappointed.

Now that you’re at the end of this article you’re just minutes away from wanting to jump in your car and run down to get a bottle of some wonderful Colorado wine.

Unfortunately, most wines made in the state are sold locally and are not found in your local liquor store. But the good news is that most can be bought online. Take a look at the coloradowine.com site and find the wineries and the wines you are looking for.

author:Jim Bruce

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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The Wine Industry Regions Of Southern California

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California is a state that produces 90% of all wine in the US, and the vineyards in the north, in Sonoma and Napa, are among the most famous in the world. However, they do not have the only quality vineyards in the state. The wines from the younger southern California wineries are on an equal par to their cousins of the north.

The majority of southern California wine is produced in two areas, the vineyards of Santa Barbara, 100 miles north of Los Angeles, and those close to San Diego, 100 miles south of the city. Both areas have been deeply involved in the growth of the California wine industry, an industry that now ships over 450 million gallons of wine a year to the US and other countries.

Santa Barbara’s Vineyards

The coastal mountains east-west positioning creates the valleys that open onto the Pacific Ocean. The flow of fog and breezes that result from this bit of serendipitous geography produce the perfect conditions for the world-class varieties of wine that are the pride of Santa Barbara. The moderate climate produces the most favourable conditions that grapes need for optimal sugar and acid levels. There are also several “micro-climates” near the Pacific Coast and the Pala Mesa mountains.

The fifty mile coast from Point Conception to Rincon forms the longest east-west shoreline on the west coast. The vines here grow on anything and everything, from the rolling hillsides to the exceptionally warm valleys, where summer temperatures often reach 100F or 38C. This climate allows the vintners to work throughout the four seasons: the pruning and weeding is done during the winter, new planting begins in the spring, canopy management in the summer and finally the annual harvest in the fall. This area has a comparable climate to the Rhône valley in France, and the winemakers have responded similarly. One particular vineyard is situated on a hillside 1,000 feet above sea level, with ideal northern exposure making it the perfect location for the Rhone varietals that are grown here.

There are an abundance of European grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and Syrah. This diversity is made possible by the large number of micro-climates in the region. For example, the cool-climate Chardonnay does well because of the occasional snow on the mountains. In contrast, the heat-loving Syrah thrives in the warmer micro-climates. The winemakers also took on the bold challenge of growing the difficult Pinot Noir, a wine resonant with strawberry and herbal aspects.

While there were almost no vineyards in the county twenty-five years ago, today the wine industry is a $100 million dollar business. The Santa Ynez and Santa Maria valley alone grew to 8,000 acres under cultivation in the twenty years between 1975 and 1995. Between 1995 and 2000, the number jumped to 18,000. Today there are over 21,000 acres of these vineyards and half of the grapes are being shipped to winemakers outside of the county.

Temecula

The cultural rivalry between northern and southern California is also reflected in the wine business. This is a young industry here; the majority of the southern vineyards didn’t exist 20 years ago. The first wines were produced in Temecula in 1971.

Twenty-two miles from the Pacific Ocean, the 1,400-foot Temecula plateau is situated between peaks of the Coastal Mountain range. The afternoon breeze blows the smog away, and the unique micro-climate in the area benefits from a higher solar intensity than Napa Valley.

The vineyards of Temecula are kept moist by large underground aquifers. The soil itself is high in decomposed granite. This helps drainage and keeps the soil free of Phylloxera, an invasive insect that destroyed large numbers of old European wine regions. It still remains a problem today.

Close by is Shadow Mountain vineyard. Located in the mountains above San Diego, this is the highest vinery in California at 4,400 feet above sea level.

All grapes grow in Temecula, including Chardonnay, White Rhône, Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet and the Italian Nebbiolo, which is harvested as late as November. The region produces a wine with a fruity character, in contrast to the woodiness which found in other California vintages.

The religious men of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano were the first winemakers in southern California, and after 200 years, the industry is now in full-bloom. Due to the partnership between wine scientists and winemakers, the 1,800 acres of commercial vineyards of southern California are more successful than ever.



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The Atlas Peak Wine Region

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The Distinguishing Characteristics of the Atlas Peak Wine region

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The Wine makers of Atlas Peak in Napa Valley are situated along the eastern hills. This region has become revered for red grapes that are full-bodied such as Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Within Atlas Peak, you will find a number of premier Wine makers including Cobblestone Vineyards, Dominari, Ardente Winery and Atlas Peak Vineyards.

The sunny, elevated climate of Atlas Peak has allowed the Wine makers in this region to be less affected by the morning fog that is quite common to the valley floor. The cool winds that come in from the Bay ensure that the acidity in the grapes in Atlas Peak is high. When visiting the area, you will find that the temperatures in Atlas Peak are somewhat cooler than on the floor of the valley. This is due to the southern location and elevation of Atlas Peak. As a result, Atlas Peak Wine makers are able to enjoy an extended growing season. Compared to other Wine regions in Napa Valley, harvest time in Atlas Peak can be as much as two weeks later.

Still, in spite of the cooler temperatures in Atlas Peak, the vineyards are still treated to plenty of sunshine. The Italian varietals planted here, in particular, soak up the sunshine; especially the Sangiovese vineyards. Atlas Peak Vineyards, owned and operated by Piero Antinori of Tuscany, is by far the largest vineyard in the Atlas Peak region.

During the afternoons fog frequently rolls into the southern region; however, the elevation of Atlas Peak shelters it from most of the fog. The evenings can still be quite cool compared to the days; however, which is beneficial to the Wine.

More so than in many other sub-regions in Napa Valley, the influence of volcanic activity is quite apparent in Atlas Peak. The soil here is perfect for the growth of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a variety of other red grapes.

You will note when touring the vineyards in Atlas Peak that the majority are grown on mountain slopes that are decidedly rugged. The elevation in Atlas Peak varies considerably, ranging from 1,200 feet above sea level to 2,600 feet above sea level. Vintners in the region have discovered that this rough, rugged terrain is somewhat difficult as well as expensive in terms of development. In addition, a significant portion of the soil in Atlas Peak is shallow, unfertile and unable to retain irrigation. As a result, Atlas Peak is not as developed as many other regions. Although the region is comprised of more than 11,000 acres only a small portion is actually planted with vineyards. While only 1,500 acres are actually planted with vineyards in Atlas Peak, the small area that is planted produces outstanding Wine.

The first grapes in Atlas Peak were planted more than one hundred years ago by Italian immigrants. This was the beginning of a long and successful Wine industry in the area. Most of the vintners during this early time period were attracted to the local region because it so closely resembled their hillside vineyards back in the Old Country. Considering the lack of modern technology at the time, the successful planting of these rugged slopes is even more amazing. Today, Atlas Peak is home to approximately 1,500 acres of planted vineyards. Most of those vineyards are planted in Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian varietals; all of which do quite well here and produce some very good Wine.


Bill & Sheila’s wine

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