Lake County & the Sierra Foothills Flashcards
Who is the most famous wine producer from Lake County, starting in 1982?
Jess Jackson (Kendall-Jackson)
What is the largest AVA in Lake County?
Clear Lake AVA, contains 4 nested AVA’s. [there is no Lake County AVA]
*What are the 4 nested AVA’s of Clear Lake AVA?
High Valley, Big Valley, Kelsey Bench, Red Hills [Big Red High]
*Name 2 Lake County AVA’s not nested within Clear Lake AVA.
Benmore Valley, Guenoc Valley
What was the first Lake County AVA?
Guenoc Valley AVA, 1981
*What was the first single-winery AVA in USA?
Guenoc Valley AVA, Langtry Estate/Guenoc, 1981
Who was Lily Langtry?
Lillie Langtry (1853 – 1929), was celebrated as a young woman of beauty and charm, who later established a reputation as an actress, producer and English royal mistress. She later bought a vineyard property in Lake County.
What is the most planted grape in Guenoc Valley AVA?
Petite Sirah [not Bordeaux variety, not Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon as in Red Hills or Zinfandel as in Sierra Foothills]
Where and when did Lily Langtry buy a winery.
In 1888, Langtry purchased a winery with an area of 4,200 acres in Lake County, California, which produced red wine. She sold it in 1906. Bearing the Langtry Farms name, the winery and vineyard are still in operation in Middletown, California.
How many acres are planted and how many wineries are in Benmore Valley AVA?
10 acres of chardonnay, 0 wineries
What are the three main characteristics of the viticulture of Lake County?
high altitude (1300-3000 ft) results in dry air, large diurnal shift, long growing season
Name 4 examples of Winkler Scale 1 California AVA’s.
Anderson Valley, Los Carneros, Santa Cruz Moutains, Santa Maria, York Mountain
Name 3 examples of Winkler Scale 2 California AVA’s.
Edna Valley, Yountville, Russian River Valley,
Name examples of Winkler Scale 3 California AVA’s.
Alexander Valley, St. Helena, Livermore, Arroyo Grande (eastern), Paso Robles (part)
Name 2 examples of Winkler Scale 4 California AVA’s.
Lodi, Davis, Paso Robles
Name 2 examples of Winkler Scale 5 California AVA’s.
Fresno, Merced
Name 3 examples of Winkler Scale 1 international regions.
Mosel, Burgundy, Champagne
Name 2 examples of Winkler Scale 2 international regions.
Borolo, Bordeaux
Name 2 examples of Winkler Scale 3 international regions.
Tuscany, southern Rhone
Name 2 examples of Winkler Scale 4 international regions.
Provence, Cape Town
Name 2 examples of Winkler Scale 5 international regions.
Algeria, Sicily
What are the best grape varieties for Winkler Scale 1 regions?
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling [calwineries.com adds Gewurtzminer]
What are the best grape varieties for Winkler Scale 2 regions?
Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel [calwineries.com adds Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc {Bordeaux!} and deletes Zinfandel
What are the best grape varieties for Winkler Scale 3 regions?
Chenin Blanc, Petitie Sirah, Carignane [calwineries.com adds Zinfandel, Barbera, Gamay]
What are the best grape varieties for Winkler Scale 4 regions?
French Columbard, Ruby Cabernet [calwineries.com adds Malvasia]
What are the best grape varieties for Winkler Scale 5 regions?
Fortified wines of Grenache, Muscat [calwineries.com adds table grapes]
Name important factors that are not considered in the Winkler Heat Summation Scale.
sun exposure, latitude, precipitation, soil conditions, the likeliness of damaging extreme weather, microclimates and pollution
Where is the largest geothermal field in North America?
Lake County (stretches into Napa County)
*Name the lake at center of Lake County.
Clear Lake
*Name the geographical feature that divides Napa and Lake counties.
Mount Saint Helena
*Name the primary soil type of Red Hills of Lake County AVA.
90% of the soil is volcanic, mostly red, studded with Lake County diamonds and obsidian
Name the most widely planted grapes in Red Hills Lake County AVA.
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah
Name 3 counties of the Sierra Foothills AVA that contain sub-AVA’s.
Yuba County, El Dorado County, Amador County [DAY]
Name a county of the Sierra Foothills AVA that contains 22 wineries, but no sub-AVA’s.
Calaveras County
*State what all AVAs in Sierras share geographically and climatically.
high elevation, especially Fair Play AVA, leading to hot days and cool nights [ED: elevation and (large) diurnal variation]
*State the rough number of wineries in all of the Sierra Foothills AVA
over 140 wineries (about 4% of California total of 3800)
*State the unique features of the Fair Play AVA.
2000-3000 foot elevation, highest in the Sierras, a large diurnal variation, granite soil (sandy loam over massive granite monolith)
*Name the most widely planted RED grapes of Sierra Foothills
Zinfandel (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11%), Syrah (10%) [Others include Chardonnay, Merlot and Barbera]
*Name the AVAs in El Dorado Country.
California Shenandoah Valley AVA, El Dorado AVA, Fair Play AVA [Play fair with gold.]
*Name the AVAs in Amador County.
California Shenandoah Valley AVA, Fiddletown AVA [Amati Fiddles]
*Name the most widely planted WHITE grapes of Sierra Foothills AVA
Chardonnay [but white grapes are rare in this AVA]
*Name the AVAs in Yuba County.
North Yuba AVA
What is the effect of higher UV exposure at altitude on the viticulture?
Grape skin thickness and skin color is increased with greater UV exposure; it is suggested that higher skin mass can increase the phenolics of the resulting wine.
*Name all 6 counties that make up the North Coast AVA.
Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano & Sonoma [Lemmonss]
*Name the most widely planted WHITE grape of Lake County.
Sauvignon Blanc
*Name the most widely planted RED grape of Lake County.
Cabernet Sauvignon
What is the 2nd largest AVA n California by total acreage?
North Coast AVA [Central Coast AVA is the largest]
What wine country lake is one of the oldest geological lakes in North America?
Clear Lake (2.5 million years old)
How many wineries are in Lake County?
32 wineries and 167 growers [there were 28 wineries before Prohibition]
What Lake County AVA was originally owned by Geyser Peak Winery?
Benmore Valley AVA, Geyser Peak Winery is not located here, but still sources most of the grapes that come from this small AVA.
What is the average number of days of fog in Lake County?
rare
What are Lake County diamonds?
“Lake County diamonds,” also called “moon tears,” are semi-precious stones of volcanic origin found nowhere else in the world. They are hard enough for some commercial cutting applications.
Name the two main growers in High Valley AVA.
Brassfield and Shannon Ridge
*Grapes from Lake County are originally from what internationally known area?
Bordeaux
*Name the 8 counties in Sierra Foothills AVA from north to south.
Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa [Your neighbor places dogs and cats tempting Maryjane.]
Which county is the city of Placerville in?
El Dorado [!]
What is a diurnal swing and how can it be beneficial to wine?
Diurnal shift is the variation in temperature that occurs from the highs and lows during the day. It has the effect of producing high acid and high sugar content as the grapes’ exposure to sunlight increases the ripening qualities while the sudden drop in temperature at night preserves the balance of natural acids in the grape.
What is the definition of Winkler Region III on the heat summation scale?
III = 3,000-3,500 degree days [3=3]
*Name the Sierra Foothills AVA that contains almost half of all Sierra wineries.
El Dorado AVA
*What soil type is associated with Fair Play AVA?
Sandy loam over massive granite monolith. [Granite!]
