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The Napa Valley AVA now joins the ONLINE ranks with The Mendocino County AVA and The Sierra Foothills AVA page! Click on the links in the navigation bar to visit those pages. Explore Zinfandel |
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This page is all about Zinfandel. Here you will learn about the places the grape is grown and where the wine is made in California. Make sure you look through this whole page to see Zinfandel's diverse growing range in California. Each area is a tour of its own and each offers unique highlights of history, climate and topography. The history is varied and rich in California from Native American tribes to Spanish explorers and missionaries, Russian fur traders and loggers or \]the flood of 49ers seeking riches in the Sierra Foothills during the Gold Rush.
These pages will provide the tools you need to create your own self guided tour. Your exploration can focus on one region or follow a route to sample the highlights of several. Find links in the navigation bar to the left to move back and forth between California AVA regions which are listed in the tables below where Zinfandel is grown. Those will take you to pages that list all of the sub AVAs with lists of wineries and links to additional information about food, lodging and area highlights. Stay tuned as, over time, we will provide additional first hand information to give you more finely honed information for your own use.
Zinfandel and Food
Zinfandel pairs well with barbeque, any kind of spicy ethnic food, pizza
Terroir
Zinfandel likes warm sunny days and cold nights such as in The Sierra Foothills, the Lodi region of the San Joaquin valley, Central Coast spots such as Paso Robles as well as North Coast Mendocino. California's varied microclimates make an impact on Zinfandel's character. This information will guide your exploration. For instance, Central Coast Zinfandel is spicy and rich with lots of red cherry, berry fruit flavors, pepper and herbs with hints of smoke and toast. While the Mendocino-Lake Zinfandel is juicy and jammy with distinct aromas of roses, vanilla, earth, cloves and chocolate. The fruit flavors are berries, black cherry, plum, with cinnamon and nutmeg, dark chocolate and black pepper. The Sierra Foothills Zinfandel is highly spicy this character ,imparted by the volcanic and granitic rock of the region.
Zinfandel is either white or, really, a "blush" or it is red. White Zinfandel is not aged like the red variety. It tends to be sweet and it is best well chilled. The juice of the Zinfandel is clear but the skin is dark. Red Zinfandel results from crushing the skins with the juice and then aging in barrels for a year or more. Most red Zinfandels are best enjoyed young - within three or four years after they are bottled. It is characteristic of the Zinfandel grape that the berries on the same cluster ripen at different rates which contributes to the wine's complexity.
There is a "late harvest" variety of red Zinfandel which tends to have a higher sugar and alcohol content. Late harvest Zinfandel is port-like with a prune/raisin character.
A Little History
The Zinfandel grape is grown in many areas or AVAs (American Viticultural Areas, also "appellations") of California although it was first introduced to California in Amador County (part of the Sierra Foothills region) from the northeast during the early years of the Gold Rush, around 1850. Some of the vines in Amador County are the oldest in the state and the wines made from these old vines have particularly intense and vibrant characteristics. Other Zinfandel old vinegrapes can be found in the Mendocino County AVA.
Genetic testing has proven that the California Zinfandel grape is related to the Italian Primitivo grape but it originally came from Croatia.
California American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)
American Viticultural Areas are unique, legally designated grape growing areas that are defined by the ATF. These regions are most often defined by their topography, soil types, climate and sometimes historical relevance.
| North Coast | Mendocino County, Lake County, Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Marin County and Solono County |
| Sierra Foothills | North Yuba, El Dorado, Fair Play, CA Shenandoah Valley, Fiddletown |
| Inland | Yolo County, Madera County, Sacramento County, |
| Delta | San Joaquin County, Siskiyou County, Stanislaus County |
| Central Coast | Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara Santa Cruz |
| South Coast | Los Angeles County, Riverside & San Bernardino, San Diego County |
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The Mendocino County AVA is located in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). This is a spectacular region that includes the high, rocky, Pacific Ocean wave pounded bluffs in the west and the Coastal Ranges which form the eastern border of the County. Mendocino County is where the San Andreas fault veers off into the ocean. Most of the wine grapes are grown in the Coastal Ranges where the vineyards are sheltered in the interior valleys that protect the warmth loving vines from cool ocean breezes. There are 56 wineries in Mendocino County and 250 growers. This is a very beautiful and interesting region and well worth the trek to explore.
The Mendocino County AVA Zinfandel page is NOW ONLINE! Click on the logo to go to the Mendocino Zinfandel page for detailed information about each sub-AVA including lists of wineries. There are additional links to food and lodging opportunities in Mendocino County.
| Mendocino | Mendocino Ridge |
| Anderson Valley | Redwood Valley |
| Potter Valley | Cole Ranch |
| McDowell Valley | Yorkville Highlands |
| Dos Rios |
The Lake County AVA surrounds Clear Lake, California's biggest natural lake. Lake County is next door to and east of Mendocino. This is a growing viticultural area. There are fourteen wineries that produce mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Topographically, the elevation is between 1,370 feet at the valley floor and the 2,000 foot extinct volcano, Mount Konocti. The soil is rich alluvial sediment in the valley and red volcanic soil is found at the higher elevations.
The Lake County AVA Zinfandel page is under construction. Stay tuned for detailed information about each sub-AVA including lists of wineries and additional links to food and lodging opportunities in Lake County.
Stay tuned for more information about the Lake County AVAs.
| Benmore Valley | Clear Lake |
| Guenoc Valley | High Valley |
| Red Hills-California |
The Sonoma County AVA is located in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). Sonoma is Mendocino's southern neighbor and Napa Valley's western neighbor. Like Mendocino, Sonoma's western border is formed by rugged, Pacific Ocean wave pounded bluffs. The Mayacamas Mountain Ranges form Sonoma's eastern border. Coastal regions are cooled by the cold waters and breezes from the Pacific Ocean. Inland, the days are warm but the nights are cooled as breezes and fog from the ocean filter through the Petaluma Gap and Russian River. Route 12 runs the length of the Valley from Santa Rosa to Glen Ellen.
Here, there are numerous old vine Zinfandel, some as old 100. These have very deep root systems that protect them in some of the warmer microclimates and prevents early maturing of the grapes. The most widely planted grape varietals in Sonoma are Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and others.
Sonoma County was part of an inland sea but plate tectonics pushed up the coastal ranges. Volcanoes laid down ash and lava creating a mosaic of soil types in the region. There are 260 wineries in the County. In the pages under development, we hope to provide information to help you to narrow your focus in this large area.
Please check back since the Sonoma County AVA is in the works and will be available soon!!!
| Alexander Valley | Chalk Hill |
| Dry Creek | Knights Valley |
| Los Carneros | Northern Sonoma |
| Russian River Valley | Sonoma Coast |
| Sonoma Green Valley | Sonoma Mountain |
| Sonoma Valley |
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The Napa Valley AVA, next door to Sonoma County, is the next stop on our journey south in the California North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA). This is a region nestled between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca mountains in the east. The 4,343 foot Mt. St. Helena and the town of Calistoga mark its northern border. Surprisingly, this northern region of Napa this is the warmest because it is sheltered from ocean influences. South, is the city of Napa and San Pablo Bay which connects to San Francisco Bay. The bays are condiuits for cool air that moderates the temperatures in this southern portion of Napa. Evenings and mornings bring fog that filters its way from the ocean, through the bays up to the furthest reaches of the valley.
This is a 30 mile stretch of complicated geologic history as over millions of years, tectonic plates collided causing volcanic activity spewing lava and ash. During that time ocean levels rose and fell and water infiltrated from the bays to lay down layers of ocean soils. This has contributed to more than 30 different soils making up the ground of Napa. Once again, terroir is created by the variety of soils and combined with the numerous microclimates. These contribute to the success of just about any varietal of grape in Napa, among them is Zinfandel.
There are more than 400 wineries in Napa Valley. This is an exceedingly diverse area and there are several little known regions that are well worth the effort to explore.
| Howell Mountain | St. Helena |
| Chiles Valley | Spring Mountain |
| Rutherford | Oakville |
| Mt. Veeder | Yountville |
| Stags Leap | Atlas Peak |
| Oak Knoll | Los Carneros |
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Click on the logo to go to The Sierra Foothills Zinfandel page. The Sierra Foothills AVA is on the Western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. There are 5 sub-AVAs (listed below) that make up the Foothills. The vineyards in the Sierra Foothills are relatively remote and are found at elevations between 1,200 to 3,600 feet above sea level which is well above the fog line. This makes for long, sunny summer days. The soils from 1,200 to about 2,000 foot levels are made of decomposed granite and at elevations above the 3,000 foot level there is crushed volcanic rock. Both soil types provide good drainage but lack many nutrients.
he Sierra Foothills Zinfandel page provides more information about the unique qualities of this region's Zinfandel. You will find hints about food pairings, lists of wineries and links to associations and Chambers of Commerce for more information about restaurants, lodging and local highlights.
| North Yuba | El Dorado |
| Fair Play | Fiddletown |
| CA Shenandoah Valley |
The Inland region is not an AVA but it is a region located east of San Francisco Bay and the Coastal Ranges and west of the Sierra Nevada Foothills. The town of Red Bluff is on the northern end and Sacramento, the state capital, marks the southern border. This 120 mile long valley is protected from ocean breezes and fogs by the Coastal Ranges. Chardonnay and Zinfandel are the most widely grown grapes. Many of the sub-AVAs in this region are one vineyard enterprises so they have been grouped together under the county heading.
Stay tuned for more information about these regions including lists of wineries and specific terroir information per AVA as well as links for area food, lodging and points of interest.
| Yolo County | Madera County |
| Sacramento County |
The Delta region is not an AVA but we have collected the following counties geographically into this category. This is an area that contains some of the most fertile soils in the world. The Delta region is located east of San Francisco Bay and the Coastal Ranges and west of the Sierra Nevada Foothills in the west. The San Joaquin Valley is cooled by ocean breezes and fogs filtering through the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most widely grown grapes. Stay tuned for information about these sub-AVAs.
| San Joaquin County | Siskiyou County |
| Stanislaus County |
The Bay Area AVA is marked by great diversity in geography and microclimates influenced by mountains, by the ocean and by valleys. Each region produces equal diversity in the character of the wines. The upper elevations of of the Santa Cruz Mountains, combined with the cool ocean breezes create dense, spicy fruitful wines. Valley regions have climates moderated by ocean fog that is blown into them.
The Bay Area AVA Zinfandel page is under construction. Stay tuned for detailed information about each sub-AVA including lists of wineries and additional links to food and lodging opportunities in Bay Area County.
| Ben Lamond Mountain | Livermore |
| San Francisco Bay | San Ysidro District |
| Santa Clara Valley | Santa Cruz Mountains |
The Central Coast AVA is one of the largest and stretches from San Francisco County south to Santa Barbara County. That is 250 miles long and 25 miles wide. This region mostly features Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir all of which favor the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay. Paso Robles is distinct within the region being 20 miles inland which allows for warm days but the topography brings ocean filtered air to cool the nights. This is an area of diverse topography, creating the magical microclimates that allow for a diversity of varietals to thrive.
The Central Coast AVA Zinfandel page is under construction. Stay tuned for detailed information about each sub-AVA including lists of wineries and additional links to food and lodging opportunities in Central Coast.
| Alameda | Contra Costa |
| Monterey | San Benito |
| San Francisco | San Luis Obispo |
| San Mateo | Santa Barbara |
| Santa Clara | Santa Cruz |
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