USA - Central Valley, Sierra Foothills & South Coast Flashcards
What areas does the Central Valley encompass, and what’s the region known for?
Entirely inland and covers a large area.
It consists of 2 valleys: Sacramento (N half, with 6,700 ha under vine) and San Jaoquin (S half, with 61,000 ha).
High yielding vineyards are on the flat, fertile valley floors, with daytime temperatures regularly reaching 35-40 oC, resulting in very ripe grapes.
Common varieties are Chard, Muscat, Zinfandel and Merlot.
Historically known for large scale production with large companies E&J Gallo Winery and Bronco Wine Company as the area’s largest P.
What are labelling requirement for Central Valley?
Most of the wines with ‘California’ appellation come from the San Jaoquin Valley.
San Jaoquin, Sacramento and Central Valley are not AVAs.
Where is Lodi located? What’s the size and climate?
At the northern end of the Central Valley area, 160km inland from San Fran Bay.
Large area, 45,000 ha under vine (twice the size of Sonoma County).
Hot Med, moderated by cooling breezes both from San Fran Bay and from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Flat land in the area with breaks between the coastal ranges mean breezes off the bay can travel far inland.
What is water availability, soil structure, typical training and climatic hazards of Lodi?
Vineyards are on flatlands of free-draining sandy and clay loam soils.
Low rainfall means irrigation is widely used (sourced from the Mokelumne River that flows through the AVA).
Windy conditions reduce risk of fungal disease.
Usually cordon and VSP as replacement cane would require more labour. Oldest vines are planted to bush vines.
Which grape varieties are found in Lodi? Profile?
The growing conditions means a huge amount can ripen successfully while maintaining freshness:
-Rhone + S. Fr (GSM Cinsault, Viognier, Picpoul)
-Bordeaux (Cab, Merlot, Sauv B)
-Spain (Tempranillo, Graciano, Albarino)
-Portugal (Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao
-Germany (Ries, Gewurz)
-Italy (Barberba, Aglianico)
Though the regions particularly well known for Zinfandel, with some bush vines over 100 years old (sandy soils means phylloxera has never been a problem). Styles range from medium to full bodied, medium to (+) acidity, ripe tannins, ripe cherry, blueberry and blackberry.
Where do grapes often end up from Lodi?
May either be part of a generic, inexpensive Cali blend due to the low price of the fruit, or be used in wines made from grapes entirely from the AVA.
What is the profile of wines produced in Lodi? Significant P?
Good to V good with some outstanding, inex to premium.
The most expensive are often old vine, dry farmed bush vines.
Significant P are Michael David and Ravenswood.
When was Lodi divided into sub-AVAs? Which is important and what labelling requirements apply?
In 2006 it was divided into 7 sub-AVAs.
The Mokelumne River AVA contains the majority of wineries and old Zinf vines.
Wines from these 7 must state ‘Lodi’ on the label as well as the name of the sub-AVA.
Which was the first sustainability programme founded in Cali? Where?
Lodi Rules was founded in Lodi.
Over 1000 wineries are certified in Cali and the world.
Around 1/5th of Lodi’s vineyards are certified.
Where is Clarksburg AVA located? Climate, varieties and most common use?
SW of Sacramento, given the proximity to Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, it has a similar climate to Lodi.
Most known for Chenin and Petite Sirah, with large plantings of Chard, Pinot Grigio, Sauv B and Viognier.
Relatively few wines are labelled Clarksburg AVA, most grapes find their way to Cali blends.
Where are the Sierra Foothills located? What’s the history of production?
A region and AVA located 160km E of San Fran, in the W foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Vineyards were initially established in the mid-late 1800s with the Cali gold rush, with vine cuttings from European immigrants-turned gold prospectors.
Many vineyards were abandoned during prohibition, but production grew again from the 1960s.
What area does the Sierra Foothills encompass? Which are key AVAs?
Vast, 1m ha and encompassing multiple counties and a few smaller AVAs.
The majority of plantings are within Amador County’s California Shenandoah Valley AVA and Fiddletown AVA, and in the El Dorado AVA in El Dorado County.
What is the climate, cooling factors and soil types of the Sierra Foothills?
Daytime temps are hot (35-40c), but cool air descends from the mountains at night giving a high diurnal range.
Planting at altitude also helps manage sugar levels:
600m in Amador county and over 1,000m in El Dorado AVA
Which varieties is Sierra Foothills known for?
Old vine Zinf, with some over 100 years.
In addition, a range of Rhone (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, GSM) and Italian (Barbera, Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Aglianico) and Spanish (Verdelho, Tempranillo) are planted.
Where does the South Coast AVA lie? Climate?
Extends S of the border with LA down to Mexico. Includes a number of sub-AVAs.
Many vineyards are planted in areas exposed the the Pacific, though some get moderating influences from altitude, as the low latitude location means some cooing influence is necessary for quality grape production.
What is the history of production in South Coast AVA?
Grapes were originally planted by the Franciscan monks in the 1760s, and commercial vineyards were planted in the 1830s.
After prohibition, vineyard land was taken over by food crops, housing and urban sprawl.
Pierce’s disease spread through in the 1990s, which led to P being able to reconsider their choice of planting material, with quality the focus instead of quantity.
What are the key varieties of South Coast AVA?
Chard, Cab Sauv, Zinf and Chenin.
