Page 36 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

CA.WINE COUNTRY
BY MARCY GORDON
Welcome to Wineland!
Where there’s a variety to suit every taste
NAPA VALLEY WINES
Wines from Napa Valley became
famous when a Chardonnay from
Chateau Montelena won the
Judgment of Paris in 1976. It was an
event that rocked the wine world,
and the quality of California wines
has only grown since then. For more
on this region, see San Francisco Bay
Area, pages 72-91.
Wine is so popular in California and there
are so many varieties here it’s a marvel that
no enterprising visionary has built a
theme park devoted to it: Wineland!
California has been a center for wine
since Spanish missionaries brought the first
vines to California in the late 1790s and set-
tlers from Europe during the Gold Rush of
the 1850s began developing the modern wine
industry. Today, California wine is known
worldwide and the state is the fourth largest
wine producing area in the world after Spain,
France and Italy. Five main growing regions
divide the state with more than 100 Amer-
ican Viticultural Areas (AVAs) determined by
the climate, soil and altitude that contribute
to unique characteristics in finished wine.
California offers as many ways to expe-
rience wine as varieties of grapes grown.
Whether it’s food, adventure, art or history,
there’s a tour or tasting experience to pair
with your interests. The classic on-site
winery tour is alive and well, but off-site
tasting rooms are booming, and are a great
alternative to exploring a wine region
without driving from winery to winery.
These opportunities abound the length
and breadth of the state.
JACOB ASHCRAFT/ASHCRAFT PHOTOGRAPHY. OPPOSITE: JARED ROPELATO/SHUTTERSTOCK; JUANCAT/SHUTTERSTOCK
34 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A