Sierra Foothills AVA

Coordinates: 38°09′44″N 120°28′44″W / 38.16211282°N 120.47896027°W / 38.16211282; -120.47896027
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Sierra Foothills
Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel[3][2]
Varietals produced48[2]
No. of wineries211[2]

Sierra Foothills is a vast

California Gold Rush. Over 280 vineyards/wineries are located within its boundaries.[1][2]

History

Wine grapes were planted in the foothills of Yuba County in the 1850's and 1,000 acres (405 ha) were dedicated to cultivation, but by 1930, as a result of Prohibition, the vineyards were replaced by orchards of peaches and prunes. After Repeal in 1933, wine grape growing re-surged in the valley lowlands. The viticulture in Yuba County has been associated with the Sacramento Valley because from the mid-1930's to the early 1980's wine grapes were not being cultivated in the foothills of Yuba County.[1][4]

Terroir

"Sierra Foothills" viticultural area encompasses Sierra Nevada's north-central foothill "belt", an interior range that extends about 360 miles (579 km) in a northwest to southeast orientation from

Bakersfield. The area is approximately 170 miles (274 km) long from Yuba County to Mariposa County and lies 40 miles (64 km) to the east of Sacramento with elevations ranging from 500 feet (152 m) above sea level, e.g., Jackson Valley and Auburn Ravine, to 3,500 feet (1,067 m) in Mariposa County. In comparison with the North Yuba viticultural area which ranges in elevation from 1,000 to 2,000 feet (305–610 m), the Sierra Foothills viticultural area fully encompasses the range in elevation for the North Yuba viticultural area. The area encompasses 4,200 square miles (2,688,000 acres) and is one of the state's largest viticultural areas.[1]

The characteristics which distinguish the Sierra Foothills viticultural area from surrounding areas are summarized as follows:

  1. Name (viticulture found geographically in the foothills "belt" of the Sierra Nevadas);
  2. History (origins dating to the Gold Rush of 1849);
  3. Geology, topography, elevation and soils (the region is part of the Sierra Nevada geomorphic province, with different geology and soils than the Great Valley province and the High Sierras); and,
  4. Climate, rainfall and temperature (the region has warm summer days and cool nights, with lower temperatures and higher rainfall than the Central Valley and higher temperatures and lower rainfall than the mountainous uplands of the Sierra Nevadas).[1]

Vineyards

Sierra Foothills has 5,700 acres (2,307 ha) being cultivated for wine grapes in about 180 vineyard/wineries. The most common grape

above sea level.[3]

There are over 200 wineries located within the Sierra Foothills. Many are small, boutique wineries, often family-owned. The first known planting in the Sierra Foothills was in the Coarsegold Gulch area during the Gold Rush period.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^
    Treasury: 44103–44106. November 18, 1987.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sierra Foothills (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. Appellation America Inc. 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "The Appellations Of California Wine: Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, Delta, and Sierra Foothills". Wine Institute. 2007. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  4. ^ Balzer & Geis 1978, p. 213
  5. ISBN 1-884995-14-4
    .

Further reading

External links

38°09′44″N 120°28′44″W / 38.16211282°N 120.47896027°W / 38.16211282; -120.47896027

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