California Flashcards
Largest wine producer in the world
Gallo
Oldest continuously operated winery in the US
Buena Vista
the two wines that took first place in 1976 Judgment of Paris
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ Cabernet Sauvignon
Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay
Petite Sirah is known in France as
Durif
Why do Zinfandel wines almos always have high ABV?
Zinfandel infamous for uneven ripening - in order to avoid the sweet & sour effect, most winemakers wait until all grapes in a cluster are ripened - meaning that some grapes have inevitably raisinated by that point
the body of water connected to southern Napa Valley
San Pablo Bay
Western Napa Valley grapes vs eastern Napa Valley Grapes
grapes on the easternside get very ripe, resulting in wines that are very concentrated and full bodied.
of sub AVAs within Napa Valley
16
The most important valley floor AVAs of Napa Valley
Stags Leap District
Oakville
Rutherford
St Helena
Most important mountain AVAs of Napa Valley
Howell Mountain
Diamond Mountain District
Spring Mountain District
Mount Vedeer
Mountain reds tend to have ____ structure
good
Sonoma County is directly north of this city
San Francisco
Sonoma County is known for this daily ebb and flow
fog and sunshine
When were Sonoma’s first vineyards planted and by whom?
Russian fisherman in the early 19th century - followed by Spanish missionaries
Sub AVAs of Russian River Valley
Green Valley and Chalk Hill
Where is Dry Creek Valley?
Sonoma County
Where is Moon Mountain District?
Sonoma County
most prized soil of Russian River Valley
Goldridge
What is loam soil?
mixture of sand, silt, clay
Where is Jordan winery?
Alexander Valley
Dry Creek Valley is famous for its production of this grape
Zinfandel
Santa Barbara County contains these two large AVAs
Santa Maria Valley
Santa Ynez Valley
the 3 sub AVAs of Santa Ynez
Sta Rita Hills (closest to Pacific, most prestigious)
Ballard Canyon
Happy Canyon
The soil of Santa Marie Valley + Santa Ynez Valley
sandy seabed soils
Grapes in Santa Barbera County benefit from a ____ growing season
long
Mendocino is known for _____ farming practices
organic
top AVA of Mendocino
Anderson Valley
Lake County wine is typically..
simply, inexpensive Cab Sauv and Sauv Blanc
Where is the region Sierra Foothills?
Sierra Foothills is strip of 8 counties roughly stacked on each other close to the border with Nevada
Two famous vineyards of Carneros
Hyde Vineyard
Hudson Ranch
Lodi is notable for?
Mass production and old vine production
Lodi is about 90 miles east of this city
San Francisco
Where is Livermore Valley?
east and slightly south of SF
What is unique about Livermore Valley?
runs east <-> west
SB was brought to Livermore Valley from…
cuttings from Chateau d’Yquem
Monterey County has more acres of this grape than any other region in California
Chardonnay
Where is Santa Lucia Highlands
within Monterey County
What is Santa Lucia Highlands primarily known for?
rich, bold Pinot Noir
Where is Paso Robles?
midpoint between SF and LA
general landscape of Paso Robles
very warm range of sun-baked hills, shielded from the Pacific by the Santa Lucia Mountains
