Vinogger

Mention California wine country and most people think of Napa Valley. Napa Valley which is only 30 miles long and 5 miles wide has 16 appellations which include Atlas Peak, Calistoga, Chiles Valley District, Coombsville, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carnesos, Mt. Veeder, Oak Knoll Distirict of Napa Valley, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District Howell Mountain, Yountville and Wild Horse Valley. Napa Valley is a beautiful wine region with amazing wineries, world renown restaurants, including Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and phenomenal wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, but there are other wine regions in Northern California that are definitely worth a visit.

Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley in Sonoma, Anderson Valley and Hopland in Mendocino & Lake County are 5 wine regions that are off the beaten path but definitely worth a visit.

1. Dry Creek Valley is located in Sonoma 70 miles north of San Francisco. The Dry Creek appellation which is only 16 miles long by 2 miles wide has 70 wineries. Grapes have been grown in Dry Creek since the California gold rush in 1849 and region is known for it’s Zinfandel with some of the vines going back over 100 years. A lot of the wineries here are family owned and many have farms and also grow vegetables. Because there are so many wineries in a concentrated area, you can visit several wineries in one day without the need for much driving. This part of wine country is a great place to pick a few wineries to visit, bring a picnic and spend a relaxing day enjoy the glorious views, slow pace and tasty wines of the area. In the spring, the region hosts Passport to Dry Creek a weekend of food and wine pairings at over 50 of the wineries which is definitely worth attending. For more information on Dry Creek Valley and Passport to Dry Creek check out www.wdcv.com

2. Alexander Valley is located at the northern end of Sonoma off the beaten path and is around 80 miles north of San Francisco. The Alexander Valley AVA is 22 miles in length and varies in width from two to seven miles. There are 40 wineries in Alexander Valley. Vines were first planted in Alexander Valley in 1841. Alexander Valley is most known for it’s Cabernet Sauvignon but many different varietals are grown here . Every May, Alexander Valley hosts Taste of Alexander Valley a weekend of food and wine pairings. This is a great chance to explore and get to know most of the wineries in Alexasder Valley. For more information on Alexander Valley and Taste of Alexander Valley which is May 17-19 check out http://tastealexandervalley.org/

3. Hopland is just off Highway 101 in Mendocino County around one hour and 45 minutes from San Francisco. Hopland is a quaint town with 18 wineries. The wine growers up here have been farming for many years growing and providing grapes to other winemakers. It is only recently that many have begun making and selling their own wines. Many of the wineries in Hopland grow organic grapes and also have organic farms and gardens. Wine tasting in Hopland is a calm, down home experience and almost beckons to another era, it feels like sharing a glass of wine with a neighbor who in many cases also happens to be a wine grower. Hopland is most known for white wines and it’s Coro red blends. Each Spring Hopland hosts Hopland Passport. A food and wine pairing event at all of the wineries in the region and if you don’t want to drive they offer an option to take a shuttle to all of the wineries to really relax and enjoy the weekend. Definitely worth a visit for Passport or any other weekend www.destinationhopland.com

4. Anderson Valley is located 2 hours north of San Francisco in Mendocino County. There are 27 wineries and 20 tasting rooms in Anderson Valley. Although it is believed wine was first planted here in late 1890 by immigrants who did not find success with the gold rush, wine growing in Anderson Valley really took off in the 1970’s. The Anderson Valley is mainly known for its Pinot Noir and Alcace varietals. Most of the wineries here are family owned and the winemakers and wine growers see themselves as farmers. The Anderson Valley still retains a tranquil, hippy feel. People are very friendly in Anderson Valley and many of the wineries here do no charge for wine tasting (something almost unheard of anywhere else) In the winter Anderson Valley host the Alcace Festival and in the spring a Pinto Noir festival. A chance to taste lots of Anderson Valley wines all in one place and the next day all of the wineries in the region host open houses with food and wine parings. This year’s Pinot Noir festival is May 17-19. For information on Anderson Valley & the Pinot Noir Festival check out www.avines.com.

5. Lake County is located 2 hours from San Francisco. There are 35 wineries and 6 AVAs in Lake County and wines have been grown in Lake County since the 1800’s. Lake County has beautiful Clearlake, amazing soil and some of the cleanest air in California resulting in some amazing wines. Most known for its Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County is now also becoming know for its high elevation Cabernets. Each summer in July Lake County Hosts the Wine County Adventure a weekend event that allows one to visit most of the wineries in the region for food and wine pairings. The year the event is July 27 & 28http://www.lakecountywineries.org/

 

Tags: Alexander Valley, Anderson Valley, Atlas Peak, Calistoga, Chiles Valley District, Coombsville, Diamond Mountain District, Dry Creek Valley, Hopland, Howell Mountain, Lake County, Los Carnesos, Mendocino, Mt. Veeder, Napa, Oak Knoll Distirict of Napa Valley, Oakville, Rutherford, Spring Mountain District, St. Helena, Stags Leap District Howell Mountain, wine country, Yountville and Wild Horse Valley

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 5th, 2013 at 11:11 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.