Sonoma County Wine

The extensive Sonoma County AVA in California stretches north from San Pablo Bay to the Alexander Valley. It runs parallel with the Napa Valley wine region to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The topography from one end of the valley to the other is markedly different. To acknowledge this variation, the region has been divided and redivided into a series of AVAs and sub-appellations.

The main climatic influence in Sonoma County is the cooling Pacific Ocean. In summer, the cold inshore waters cause a fogbank just off the coast. As the inland air warms and rises, cold fog is sucked in to fill the space. Cool ocean winds are also funneled some distance into coastal valleys.

Those sub-regions located closer to the Pacific are generally cooler and better suited to cool-climate grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Further inland, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel thrive in the hot, dry growing conditions. Across Sonoma County as a whole, a wide range of grape varieties is grown.