Rave Reviews for California Wine

« « Competition to win two handmade Crystal Wine Glasses from Forever Crystal | Looking For Good Beer Making Supplies At Excellent Prices? » »

Subscribe To Our Feed

California wine is an example of the farmers and artisans who craft their wine. The soils, the climate, valleys and coastal influences help to develop grapes with exquisite flavors. The winemakers in the various California wine regions have an appreciation for the territory in which they live and work that makes it possible to create palate pleasing world class wines.

The original Spanish pioneers had a large effect on the California wine growers. As the California missions were being setup in the 18th century, the Spaniards would create a vineyard. The grapes were grown for use in religious sacraments as well as for daily life. Early vine cuttings came from Mexico from the common black grape. This grape species, often referred to as the “Mission Grape,” was the chief varietal of the early mission vineyards.

The largest expansion in populace and wineries in the California areas of Sonaoma and Nappa Valleys was during the years of the gold rush. During this time well known wine companies such as Buena Vista Winery, Charles Krug Winery, Inglenook Winery and Schramsberg Vineyard were founded.

California Wine Territories

There are several areas that produce California Wine. They are divided into 4 main areas. The first locale is the North Coast area which takes in counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake. The Central Coast is the number two region which lies west of San Franicisco stretching down to Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Santa Maria and Santa Ynez. Reaching all the way to the Mexican border from Los Angeles is the third section referred to as the South Coast vineyards that also include the Antelope and Temecula Valleys. The fourth region is the Central Valley which includes, of course, the central valley and the Sierra foothills and Lodi.

Wide Range of Grapes and Wines

The California Wine country grows hundreds of variety of grapes. For instance, there are the French, Italian, Spanish grapes and new hybrids springin up each year.

You have probably heard of most of the popular grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel. They also grow red wine grapes that you may be familiar with such as the Barbera, Grenache, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Sangiovese. Some white grapes are the Chenin blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, and Riesling to name just a few.

New World Style Wines

California wine is commonly called “New World” wine. California wine is produced with a riper grape which gives it a rich, fruity flavor and higher alcohol content. The oak aged California wine making process produces a wonderful full body taste.

Rave Reviews for California Wine

More attention and rave reviews have been coming from the international arena as California wine producers craft higher quality wines each year. The rest of the world is quickly discovering the treasures of the California wine industry through the wine of the month club.

Get Social, Bookmark Us!!: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.