The Russian River Valley is the most southerly AVA within Northern Sonoma. It is named for the influx of Russian immigrants who, between 1812 and 1841, settled along the Sonoma coast, establishing agricultural businesses including the planting of wine grapes. Beginning at Fort Ross they moved up to Sebastopol, Graton and Freestone, eventually settling in what would become Russian River Valley.
Most of the Russian settlers abandoned the area by 1841, but other settlers had already migrated there and continued to support viticultural plantings. By the 1870s, the wine industry began to take hold and companies such as the Santa Rosa Wine Company, Martini and Prati, Korbel Cellars and Foppiano established longstanding wineries.
The Prohibition was a devastating blow to the region, but there were some survival techniques employed by certain wineries to get around the problem. The Alicante-Bouchet grape from Europe, know for its unique teinturier (naturally dark, heavily pigmented juice without
Read more »
The Russian River Valley is the most southerly AVA within Northern Sonoma. It is named for the influx of Russian immigrants who, between 1812 and 1841, settled along the Sonoma coast, establishing agricultural businesses including the planting of wine grapes. Beginning at Fort Ross they moved up to Sebastopol, Graton and Freestone, eventually settling in what would become Russian River Valley.
Most of the Russian settlers abandoned the area by 1841, but other settlers had already migrated there and continued to support viticultural plantings. By the 1870s, the wine industry began to take hold and companies such as the Santa Rosa Wine Company, Martini and Prati, Korbel Cellars and Foppiano established longstanding wineries.
The Prohibition was a devastating blow to the region, but there were some survival techniques employed by certain wineries to get around the problem. The Alicante-Bouchet grape from Europe, know for its unique teinturier (naturally dark, heavily pigmented juice without need for skin contact) properties was already being used as a colorant in blends. Wine-makers realized they could dilute it like crazy and it would still look the same. Add some sugar to that and no one would be the wiser, right? It turned out that the cool-climate Russian River Valley was perfectly suited to growing Alicante, so many wineries were able to get by bootlegging their “Jackass” sugar wines. Martinelli still has land within its properties called Jackass Vineyard for this reason.
Finally, in the 1960s, University of California Farm Advisor Bob Sisson declared that growers should give more love to this cool-climate region and focus their attention on the type of sophisticated grape cultivation best suited to it, particularly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for both still and sparkling wines. From there, Russian River Valley became one of the most sought after growing areas in California. It was granted AVA status in 1983. ~ Amanda Schuster
– Description from
Amanda Schuster
(hide)
Stay Connected
Get our free newsletter
SubmitSnooth Newsletters