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Sonoma Valley Wineries And Wines


Although many AVAs in Sonoma County are well-known for one or two specific varietals, the Sonoma Valley enjoys diverse terroir, and successfully grows many different grape types. The Sonoma Valley AVA was established in 1982, and is approximately 160 square miles. About 28,000 acres are planted with vineyards.

History

The history of viticulture in the Sonoma Valley began when a Franciscan Padre named Jose Altimira established the Sonoma Mission in 1823. This was the last, and northernmost Spanish Mission built in California. Altimira established the first of the Sonoma Valley Wineries, and simple wines were produced for ecclesiastical purposes.

After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1835, General Vallejo was sent by the new government to secularize the Sonoma Mission and its surrounding properties. The Bear Flag Revolt occured 11 years later, and authority shifted to the United States Government shortly thereafter.

Agaston Harazsthy founded the first commercial Sonoma Valley Winery in 1857. Harazsthy experimented with different vitis vinifera varietals and greatly increased the perception of the Sonoma Valley as a quality wine region. Although Harazsthy's winery ultimately went bankrupt, it laid the foundation for future wine producers. Because of his contributions to Sonoma viticulture, Harazsthy is known as the "Father of the California Wine Industry".

The combined devastation of Phylloxera and Prohibition eliminated all but the most hearty and innovative Sonoma Valley Wineries. Sebastiani was able to persevere due to a contract with the Church to make wine. However, most vineyards were converted to other crops or used to raise livestock.

Despite the fact that the Sonoma Valley AVA has a long history of winemaking, it was not until the 1970s that quality wine production became widespread. The legacy of Phylloxera and Prohibition caused the region to stagnate for over a generation. Between the repeal of Prohibition and the renaissance of the 1970s, Sonoma Valley Wineries primarily produced jug wine.

During the 1970s, renowned wineries such as Gundlach-Bundschu, and Chateau St. Jean experimented successfully with several different varietals. As a result, one varietal does not dominate production as Cabernet Sauvignon does in the Rutherford and Oakville AVAs.

Terroir

The terroir of the Sonoma Valley AVA is dominated by unpredictable fog patterns. A substantial amount of fog from the Southern San Pablo Bay regularly covers the region. Additionally, a lesser amount of fog creeps through a gap in the mountains near Santa Rosa in the north.

The Southern Sonoma Valley is very cool and includes the eastern part of the Carneros AVA. Temperature steadily rise as one travels north. The town of Sonoma is located about one-third of the way north within the AVA and has a moderate, pleasant climate. The northern towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood are substantially warmer.

Wines, Wineries, and Varietals

As alluded to earlier, unpredictable fog patterns make it difficult to typecast specific areas in the Sonoma Valley AVA as being suited to particular varietals. Although exceptions abound, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay generally thrive in the southern part of the Appellation. At the same time, there are areas around Kenwood in the northern part of the AVA that produce great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir from Sonoma Valley varies dramatically from the south to the north. Northern Pinots have almost Rhone-like characteristics, while southern Pinots are lighter and more reminiscent of production from the Russian River Valley.

The eastern hills of the valley below Sonoma Mountain are increasingly best known for Zinfandel. McCrea Vineyards is an exceptional example of this production. While great Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found on the Eastern Sonoma Mountain, Louis M Martini's Monte Rosso in the Western Mayacamas Mountains has arguably been the most consistently excellent Cab grown by any Sonoma Valley Winery. Exceptional Gewurztraminers and Sauvignon Blancs are also produced in the Sonoma Valley AVA.

History

The history of viticulture in the Sonoma Valley began when a Franciscan Padre named Jose Altimira established the Sonoma Mission in 1823. This was the last, and northernmost Spanish Mission built in California. Altimira established the first of the Sonoma Valley Wineries, and simple wines were produced for ecclesiastical purposes.

After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1835, General Vallejo was sent by the new government to secularize the Sonoma Mission and its surrounding properties. The Bear Flag Revolt occured 11 years later, and authority shifted to the United States Government shortly thereafter.

Agaston Harazsthy founded the first commercial Sonoma Valley Winery in 1857. Harazsthy experimented with different vitis vinifera varietals and greatly increased the perception of the Sonoma Valley as a quality wine region. Although Harazsthy's winery ultimately went bankrupt, it laid the foundation for future wine producers. Because of his contributions to Sonoma viticulture, Harazsthy is known as the "Father of the California Wine Industry".

The combined devastation of Phylloxera and Prohibition eliminated all but the most hearty and innovative Sonoma Valley Wineries. Sebastiani was able to persevere due to a contract with the Church to make wine. However, most vineyards were converted to other crops or used to raise livestock.

Despite the fact that the Sonoma Valley AVA has a long history of winemaking, it was not until the 1970s that quality wine production became widespread. The legacy of Phylloxera and Prohibition caused the region to stagnate for over a generation. Between the repeal of Prohibition and the renaissance of the 1970s, Sonoma Valley Wineries primarily produced jug wine.

During the 1970s, renowned wineries such as Gundlach-Bundschu, and Chateau St. Jean experimented successfully with several different varietals. As a result, one varietal does not dominate production as Cabernet Sauvignon does in the Rutherford and Oakville AVAs.

Terroir

The terroir of the Sonoma Valley AVA is dominated by unpredictable fog patterns. A substantial amount of fog from the Southern San Pablo Bay regularly covers the region. Additionally, a lesser amount of fog creeps through a gap in the mountains near Santa Rosa in the north.

The Southern Sonoma Valley is very cool and includes the eastern part of the Carneros AVA. Temperature steadily rise as one travels north. The town of Sonoma is located about one-third of the way north within the AVA and has a moderate, pleasant climate. The northern towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood are substantially warmer.

Wines, Wineries, and Varietals

As alluded to earlier, unpredictable fog patterns make it difficult to typecast specific areas in the Sonoma Valley AVA as being suited to particular varietals. Although exceptions abound, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay generally thrive in the southern part of the Appellation. At the same time, there are areas around Kenwood in the northern part of the AVA that produce great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir from Sonoma Valley varies dramatically from the south to the north. Northern Pinots have almost Rhone-like characteristics, while southern Pinots are lighter and more reminiscent of production from the Russian River Valley.

The eastern hills of the valley below Sonoma Mountain are increasingly best known for Zinfandel. McCrea Vineyards is an exceptional example of this production. While great Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found on the Eastern Sonoma Mountain, Louis M Martini's Monte Rosso in the Western Mayacamas Mountains has arguably been the most consistently excellent Cab grown by any Sonoma Valley Winery. Exceptional Gewurztraminers and Sauvignon Blancs are also produced in the Sonoma Valley AVA.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Ben Bicais lives in the Napa Valley and is the webmaster of http://www.california-wine-tours-and-accessories.com



Oak Barrels and More

Sonoma Valley Wineries And Wines


Although many AVAs in Sonoma County are well-known for one or two specific varietals, the Sonoma Valley enjoys diverse terroir, and successfully grows...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

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The FTD Peaceful Memories Arrangement - Standard


A beautiful sympathy arrangement featuring flowers in many shades of pink. The handled basket holds pink gladiolus, pink roses, pink snapdragons, pink carnations and more. Appropriate to send to a home or to a funeral. S4-3475S


Price: 149.99 USD



Headlines on Oak Barrels

Oak Valley White Blend launched to instant acclaim (South African Wine News)

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:14:14 -0800
The White Blend envisioned when a small block of semillon was planted, in mid-2004, on the higher foothills on the Oak Valley Estate in the Elgin Valley, nearly didn't come to light after the 2007 harvest.

Chardonnay: A Study in What Went Wrong

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:58:36 -0800
The East Village Wine Geek Keith Beavers is the owner of In Vino 215 East 4th Street, Manhattan] as well as The Alphabet City Wine Company 100 Avenue C, Manhattan]. He’s one of the colorful and passionate columnists featured in The Brooklyn Bugle… coming soon. Here’s a sneak preview… I am going to start this one with a recent quote from the San Francisco Chronicle: It all started] when Hanzell Vineyards imported new French oak barrels, wineries mimicked the way wine was made in Chardonnay

The grownup gapper: winetasting on Waiheke (Daily Telegraph)

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:21:14 -0800
Our grownup gapper goes upmarket in New Zealand with a day's winetasting on an island of vineyards.

Bring on the bourbon balls. December 2, 2008

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:49:28 -0800
Posted by ourfriendben in recipes. Tags: Bardstown Kentucky, bourbon ball recipe, bourbon balls, Bourbon Heritage Center, Heaven Hill Distillery, My Old Kentucky Home, Rebecca Ruth Candies, Stephen Foster, Talbott Taverntrackback Silence Dogood here. There are two holiday specialties that you need to age to greatness before giving or serving them, bourbon balls and fruitcake, so I plan to give you recipes for both this week. I’ll start with our favorite, bourbon balls. If you’re only familiar

Revenues dry up as water demand drops (Detroit Free Press)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:50:03 -0800
Water utilities across the region say a cool summer and a cooling economy have cut demand and hurt their bottom lines, making it harder to fund system maintenance and expansion -- and making it necessary to raise rates on users.


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6:49 PM

Wednesday June 18, 2008 - Wine Cassis

Wine Cassis For Your Reading Pleasure

Wood Wine Cabinets?Welcome To The Club!


When we first leave the nest and head off to start that great adventure known as adulthood, a set of lavish wood wine cabinets are not even practical because it isn?t even legal for us to drink yet. However, even if were late bloomers and did not leave until we were over 21, there are still a lot of furniture purchases that need to be made before we can realistically think about a wine rack?let alone a beautiful cabinet. However, as we age and advance in our careers, our tastes and bank accounts hopefully mature. Whereas we might have had some fun at parties listening to loud music and perhaps even drinking beer, there comes a point when we start to appreciate the finer things in life.

Premium wood wine cabinets are not just about storage. After all, wine racks are certainly less expensive and serve the same primary function. However, whereas a wine rack provides little to no security against the curiosity of young children, you can use beautiful wood wine racks to keep the children out of things until they reach a more appropriate age. Typical wine racks just seem to present too much temptation sometimes for the intense curiosity and adventurous spirit of childhood.

However, even if the children are grown or have reached ages when such concerns are unwarranted, you will still want to consider shopping for wood wine cabinets for one very simple but important reason?they are simply gorgeous!! There are a number of materials to choose from when looking for lavish wood wine cabinets including oak and even cherry wood. These ornate and highly refined pieces of furniture provide far more than simple wine storage?they literally add a very distinct and stylish decorative element to any space in your home.

So, as you have graduated into adulthood and now find yourself truly enjoying some of the finer things in life (you know, all those crazy ?fuddy duddy? things that our parents did!), isn?t it time you took your wine storage above the stage of a simple rack sitting atop your counter? Lavish wood wine cabinets not only hold your bottles and corkscrew, they are also a great place to store your favorite classes and other accessories. Luxurious wood wine cabinets are the perfect accessories that mark your ascension into the club that is adulthood!


About the Author:

Jennifer Akre, owner of numerous sites specializing in Pot Racks and Bakers Racks, gives the consumer a chance to find the perfect Bakers Rack or Copper Pot Racks. Learn how to decorate your kitchen and home in style-Click today: Gourmet Decor Store.com.





A Short Wine Cassis Summary

Wood Wine Cabinets?Welcome To The Club!


When we first leave the nest and head off to start that great adventure known as adulthood, a set of lavish wood wine cabinets are not even practical ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

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The FTD Spring Dreams Arrangement - Deluxe


This arrangement features a collection of petite bloom flowers. Blue hydrangea is encircled by pink spray roses, pink alstroemeria, and lavender freesia. A sweet gift in the soft pastel colors of spring. B18-3472D


Price: 74.99 USD



News about Wine Cassis

Brass Knuckles Wine Opener

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:47:10 PDT
Jonathan Sabine (designer) says "it's a cross between two iconic objects whose cultural and socio-economic associations lie at opposite ends of the spectrum from one another" Could be an eyeball remover for Shrek?

funduBytes: orkut.com redesign - old wine, new bottle

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:40:27 PDT
In the updated look, it has changed the blue mood to snow-white-blue mood, added rounded corners and new icons, and re-organized the headers and footers. But, there is no new feature apart from the cosmetic treatment. Even, the same error message exists. In short, it's old wine in a new bottle!

Trillian 3.1.7 on Linux with Wine

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:19:43 PDT
Trillian is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections running on Linux.

In Praise of Fortified Wines - Thunderbird

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:41:33 PDT
Thunderbird is the iconic American fortified wine. Walk down any major skid row in America—Fifth Street in LA, Mission Street in Frisco, West Madison in Chicago—and shout out, “What’s the word?” And from behind every dumpster and even from foul-smelling nooks and crannies and holes in the wall ...

LeDoux

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:30:28 PDT
The great illustrator Jesse LeDoux, has been working over seven years as an art director and designer for Seattle-based Sub Pop Records and founding member of Patent Pending Design, LeDoux created iconic album and poster artwork for such artists such as The Shins and Iron and Wine before launching his own illustration/design firm LeDoux.

LG Wine phone now with bigger displays

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:52:08 PDT
LG has updated the Wine phone for the local market. The new phones LG-SV390/LV3900 come with bigger internal and external displays at 2.4 and 1.8 inches respectively. Though the name ‘Wine phone’ sounds exotic its target audience is actually 30 to 40 year olds. The buttons are rather large and so is the display text and icons.

Orin Swift Cellars named "Vineyard of the Month"

Thu, 01 May 2008 13:47:19 PDT
A lot of wineries start out because the founder just decided they wanted to make wine. Few are successful and you rarely here about the ones that fail or remember their name. Orin Swift Cellars, under the guidance of Dave Phinney, is successful. From a few tons of Zinfandel to being on the brink of being an iconic brand.....


K&L Wines
Wine Terminology

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11:18 AM

We hope that what we have stated here on Wine Review is indeed inspiring to you, the reader. With this inspiration, learn even more about Wine Review .

The Best Articles on Wine Review

Giving the Gift of Wine


The holidays have a way of bringing change: people become cheerier, houses become more illuminated, and turkeys start carrying around Rosary beads, fervently hoping that no one notices them. From the family get-togethers to the meetings with old friends, the holidays are a time for love, joy, and kinship. Yet, before "Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men" can really begin to solidify, one thing needs to be finished: holiday shopping.

Holiday shopping can bring stress upon just about anyone. If the packed department stores don't unnerve you, a rabid shopping cart to the back of your heel surely will: there's nothing that increases blood pressure quite like a Wal-Mart in December.

However, there are certain gifts that allow for avoidance of long lines, screaming children, and the "Sold Out" signs sure to plague the Tickle Me Elmo section of local department stores. One of these is the gift of wine, a gift that represents friendship, celebration, and so much health that it runs a close second to giving a kidney. Because there are a variety of ways wine can be given, it is simply one of the easiest gifts to give and an even easier one to receive. When giving wine, there's no need to keep the receipt.

Wine Clubs

Enrolling a friend, a spouse, or a relative in a Wine Club is one of the most unique gifts you can give the wine lover. For the wine novice, a Wine Club provides education on and exposure to the different types of wine, all the while teaching the drinker that wine does not necessarily come in a box. For the connoisseur, a Wine Club allows the drinker to keep their cellar full as bottles show up on their front porch with the regularity of a full moon. A Wine Club also indulges members with inside information, special deals, wine secrets and exposure to rare vintages.

What's more, Wine Clubs are an extremely easy gift to give. The Internet is swimming with a variety of Wine Clubs, clubs that provide quick and easy enrollment. However, when giving the gift of a Wine Club, keep in mind that some are only allowed to ship to certain states. Thus, be sure that you find one able to deliver to the state where the gift recipient resides.

Personalized Wine Labels

Personalized wine labels are one of those rare gifts that combine emotion and practicability: the bottle's label allows for the conveyance of a personal touch while the bottle's contents allow for enjoyment of a different sense. A personalized wine label is something that can be held onto: long after the bottle is emptied, it can be kept the way cards, letters, and photographs are stored, all retained with the purpose of sentiment. From giving newlyweds a wine bottle that reads, "First Christmas" to giving your parents one that reads, "Thirtieth Christmas," a personalized wine label invites a plethora of possibilities.

A personalized wine label is particularly great when coupled with wine that evokes even more sentiment. Giving someone wine from a year that is of particular importance or from a region that they hold as special can make a personalized wine label, and the wine inside, that much more cherished.

Wine Openers and Accessories

Wine is a product that has several accessories: it is the teenage girl of the alcohol industry. Because of this, many wine lovers can always use wine devices to supplement their collection. From something as small as a wine opener to something as large as a wine rack, anything to do with wine makes a great gift for both the accomplished wine connoisseur and the aspiring wine connoisseur.

For those who already have everything from a wine charm to a set of Riedel wine glasses, from a wine journal to a wine partridge in a wine pear tree, bottles of a favorite wine make great gifts. Because people who love wine - people who replaced their ice box with a wine refrigerator, people who wash their wine glasses with silk cloths, people who named their first born son "Corky" - can never have too much, just giving a nice vintage is always suitable.

Miscellaneous Tips

Giving wine as a gift does possess some risks. Not only do you run the risk of purchasing a bottle and "accidentally" drinking it before you can give it to the recipient, but there is also a slight chance that you will get someone a bottle of wine they don't find particularly appealing. In order to minimize this risk, be sure to buy the recipient the type of wine they like, not the type you like. If you are buying for someone who loves white wine, try to stay away from purchasing red, no matter how cute the Merlot looks sitting on its shelf.

For instances where you are unsure of what wine a person may like, try giving them a wine basket with a variety of wines or a gift certificate to a wine store.

Port, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are increasingly becoming the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the modern day, establishing themselves as gifts of the wise. Because the holidays bring about so much stress - preparing for the arrival of in-laws, cooking a turkey dinner, watching for poop as reindeer fly over head - wine can help the giver give something easy and the receiver drink something soothing. As a gift, it's a win-win situation: when it comes to wine, one size fits all.

Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor at http://www.savoreachglass.com. With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, she writes articles on everything from how to hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she writes her articles with the intention that readers will remember wine is fun and each glass of anything fun should always be savored.



Another short Wine Review review

Giving the Gift of Wine


The holidays have a way of bringing change: people become cheerier, houses become more illuminated, and turkeys start carrying around Rosary beads, fe...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

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Posted by Christian Jones | 2 comments