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Sonoma County wine
Sonoma County wine refers to the viticulture and winemaking in Sonoma County, California, United States. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
Sonoma County is one of California's largest producers of wine grapes, far outproducing the Napa Valley AVA.
Viticulture in the Sonoma area is thought to be the first in what is today the North Coast AVA. Vitis vinefera vines may have been planted as early as 1817 according to historian Charles L Sullivan. These vines were planted by Russian settlers looking to establish agricultural outposts in the Fort Ross vicinity. Vines were reported to be bearing fruit in 1823. Padre Jose Altimira planted several thousand grape vines at Mission San Francisco Solano in what is now the city of Sonoma, in southern Sonoma County. Cuttings from the Sonoma mission vineyards were carried throughout the northern California area to start new vineyards. By the time of the Bear Flag Revolt in Sonoma and the subsequent annexation of California by the United States in 1854, wine grapes were an established part of agriculture in the region. The vineyards of General Mariano Vallejo, military Governor of Mexican California and based in Sonoma, were producing an annual income of $20,000 at that time. The grapes planted would not be considered premium varieties today.
In 1855, a Hungarian named Agoston Haraszthy arrived in Sonoma Valley. Upon his arrival, he purchased the Salvador Vallejo vineyard, which he then renamed it Buena Vista. Commissioned in 1861 by the California legislature to study viticulture in Europe, he returned with more than 100,000 cuttings of premium grape varieties. Many of the immigrants to the area were Northern Italian or from other wine-growing regions of Europe. After the Civil War and before Prohibition, wineries such as Bundschu, Foppiano, Korbel, Simi, Gundlach, Quitzow and Sebastiani were established that still exist. By the 1880's, vines were established and wine was commercially produced in several places throughout western Sonoma County, including, but not limited to, the areas around Freestone and Occidental, Bodega, Forestville, Guerneville, and Cazadero. Steve Heimoff, a wine writer, further notes ten acres (4 ha) of vineyard "at Plantation above Fort Ross Road, northwest of Cazadero."
In the 1920s there were 256 wineries in Sonoma County, with more than 22,000 acres (89 km2) in production. Most of the western Sonoma County wine industry did not survive phylloxera outbreaks and Prohibition. At the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, fewer than 50 wineries in Sonoma County survived. Lemoral Winery near Occidental, built in 1903, was in operation until the 1960's. Even as late as the 1960s, only 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) were vineyards. But wine consumption in America began to grow, and by 1999 Sonoma County had over 49,000 acres (20,000 ha) of vineyards owned by more than 750 growers and 180 bonded wineries. Of the 250 wineries existing in 2007, over half are less than 20 years old.
During the 2019 Kincade Fire, some wineries and vineyards experienced a week of intense heat, smoke and evacuation-caused neglect of newly fermenting wine.
In 2004, growers harvested 165,783 tons (150,396 tonnes) of wine grapes worth US$310 million. In 2006 the Sonoma County grape harvest amounted to 216,000 tons, worth $430 million. About 73% of Sonoma County's agricultural production is growing wine grapes—60,302 acres (244 km2) of vineyards, with over 1100 growers. The most common varieties planted are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot noir, though the area is also known for its Merlot and Zinfandel.
Sonoma County's large number (18) of American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) reflect the wide variety of climate and soil conditions in the County, the large production in the County, and the prominence of Sonoma County in the wine market. The difference in climate and soil (terroir), means that cooler climate grapes grow well in certain regions and in others warm climate grapes are more suitable. The large production of the County means that each AVA is significant in its own right.
The prominence of the California wine industry and Sonoma County in particular has established worldwide recognition of their wine regions. At the same time, many consumers have been confused by the many different AVAs within Sonoma County. The growers voted in 2006 to form a Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, representing more than 1,800 growers. The Commission seeks to raise recognition for Sonoma County and encourages all wine from the county to bear the mark "Sonoma County" on it.
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Sonoma County wine
Sonoma County wine refers to the viticulture and winemaking in Sonoma County, California, United States. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
Sonoma County is one of California's largest producers of wine grapes, far outproducing the Napa Valley AVA.
Viticulture in the Sonoma area is thought to be the first in what is today the North Coast AVA. Vitis vinefera vines may have been planted as early as 1817 according to historian Charles L Sullivan. These vines were planted by Russian settlers looking to establish agricultural outposts in the Fort Ross vicinity. Vines were reported to be bearing fruit in 1823. Padre Jose Altimira planted several thousand grape vines at Mission San Francisco Solano in what is now the city of Sonoma, in southern Sonoma County. Cuttings from the Sonoma mission vineyards were carried throughout the northern California area to start new vineyards. By the time of the Bear Flag Revolt in Sonoma and the subsequent annexation of California by the United States in 1854, wine grapes were an established part of agriculture in the region. The vineyards of General Mariano Vallejo, military Governor of Mexican California and based in Sonoma, were producing an annual income of $20,000 at that time. The grapes planted would not be considered premium varieties today.
In 1855, a Hungarian named Agoston Haraszthy arrived in Sonoma Valley. Upon his arrival, he purchased the Salvador Vallejo vineyard, which he then renamed it Buena Vista. Commissioned in 1861 by the California legislature to study viticulture in Europe, he returned with more than 100,000 cuttings of premium grape varieties. Many of the immigrants to the area were Northern Italian or from other wine-growing regions of Europe. After the Civil War and before Prohibition, wineries such as Bundschu, Foppiano, Korbel, Simi, Gundlach, Quitzow and Sebastiani were established that still exist. By the 1880's, vines were established and wine was commercially produced in several places throughout western Sonoma County, including, but not limited to, the areas around Freestone and Occidental, Bodega, Forestville, Guerneville, and Cazadero. Steve Heimoff, a wine writer, further notes ten acres (4 ha) of vineyard "at Plantation above Fort Ross Road, northwest of Cazadero."
In the 1920s there were 256 wineries in Sonoma County, with more than 22,000 acres (89 km2) in production. Most of the western Sonoma County wine industry did not survive phylloxera outbreaks and Prohibition. At the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, fewer than 50 wineries in Sonoma County survived. Lemoral Winery near Occidental, built in 1903, was in operation until the 1960's. Even as late as the 1960s, only 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) were vineyards. But wine consumption in America began to grow, and by 1999 Sonoma County had over 49,000 acres (20,000 ha) of vineyards owned by more than 750 growers and 180 bonded wineries. Of the 250 wineries existing in 2007, over half are less than 20 years old.
During the 2019 Kincade Fire, some wineries and vineyards experienced a week of intense heat, smoke and evacuation-caused neglect of newly fermenting wine.
In 2004, growers harvested 165,783 tons (150,396 tonnes) of wine grapes worth US$310 million. In 2006 the Sonoma County grape harvest amounted to 216,000 tons, worth $430 million. About 73% of Sonoma County's agricultural production is growing wine grapes—60,302 acres (244 km2) of vineyards, with over 1100 growers. The most common varieties planted are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot noir, though the area is also known for its Merlot and Zinfandel.
Sonoma County's large number (18) of American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) reflect the wide variety of climate and soil conditions in the County, the large production in the County, and the prominence of Sonoma County in the wine market. The difference in climate and soil (terroir), means that cooler climate grapes grow well in certain regions and in others warm climate grapes are more suitable. The large production of the County means that each AVA is significant in its own right.
The prominence of the California wine industry and Sonoma County in particular has established worldwide recognition of their wine regions. At the same time, many consumers have been confused by the many different AVAs within Sonoma County. The growers voted in 2006 to form a Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, representing more than 1,800 growers. The Commission seeks to raise recognition for Sonoma County and encourages all wine from the county to bear the mark "Sonoma County" on it.