For a wine making district California is one very large state. It can be divided in more than one way, so we’ll only talk about the most famous regions.
The fact that it is such a large state makes it the 4th producer in the world. Despite all that the californians believe quality is not an anathema of profit, so they decided to make some of the best wines in the world. Here is a rundown of the famous wine regions in California.
Region 1 – Paso Robles
Paso Robles is situated between San Francisco and Los Angeles, mostly along the central coast. Truthfully the fastest growing wine region as well as one of the largest in California.
Paso Robles still makes for a very impressive array of top tier wines. Several Paso Robles wines occupy high-end positions in international rankings. This wine region shows great promise for the future.
Region 2 – San Luis Obispo
The county of San Luis Obispo is located in the central California Coast, about halfway between S.F. and L.A. The region of San Luis adds about 26.000 acres of vineyards.
The most used wine grape is the Cabernet Sauvignon, scoring over 8.000 acres. The next in line is the Merlot at half the popularity. In total there are over 100 wineries.
Region 3 – Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is situated above L.A. This region is interesting because the coastal range of mountains is shaped in the form of an L, causing the climate to turn very chilly on the outskirts.
But the same chain of mountains allows for protection in some areas where warmer climates allow for a great variety of grapes to be successful, such as Pinot noir, Chardonnay as well as Sauvignon and Riesling.
Region 4 – San Diego
On the other side of the district, San Diego, relaxes along the southern coast. Probably the smallest wine region in California. But as we all know, size does not matter when you are blessed with perfect climate and rich soils. The region of San Diego produces highly appreciated Chardonnays, Cabernets and Zinfandels.
Region 5 – Mendocino
Best known for delicate German Gewurztraminer. However this region doesn’t stop there as it also hosts fine meaty Cabernets and Zinfandels.
Region 6 – Napa Valley
Ahh, the famous Napa Valley. Established a few decades ago, the valley is home to internationally esteemed Chardonnays, Cabernets and Merlots. There is a lot to talk about regarding Napa Valley, but it’s sufficient to know that the region is unique in diversity by virtue of the collision of the tectonic plates.
Region 7 – Sonoma County and Corneros
Sonoma Valley offers very good Chardonnays, Pinot noir and sparkling wines. The Corneros region connects Napa Valley to Sonoma. Naturally it also hosts interesting climates and soils that give birth to new kinds of Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and sparkling wines.
Region 8 – Siera Foothill
Yet another very productive region in terms of quality. It includes the districts of El Dorado and Amador County. Here you can find Zinfandels that outshine the other regions, as well as delicious Rieslings, Sauvignons and dark Cabernets.
Region 9 – Livermore
One of the more peculiar regions. Located in central California, however unlike the other regions it is famous for Bordeaux blends. Now it grows a large variety of white and sparkling wines.
Region 10 - Santa Clara and Santa Cruz
Santa Clara produces award winning Zinfandel from Sonoma grapes while Santa Cruz produces Pinot noirs in what is known to be the coolest wine region.
Region 11 – Monterey
Another cool climate region, naturally hosts Pinot noirs, Rieslings and Chenin Blanc. This region boasts over 150 vineyards that also make some original Chardonnays.
California is well known worldwide for excellent wines from many different varietals, it rivals some of the best French wines.
Further reading:
- Wine Regions – Pro’s And Con’s - Every wine drinker knows that the wines available in his country are most often sub-par in comparison to the best regions for specific wines. Fact is each type of wine grape works better for certain climates and worse for others....
