The Sierra Foothills AVA (established in 1987) is an
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...
in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
in the U.S. state of
California in the United States. Wine grapes were introduced to the area in the nineteenth century during the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
. Over 100 wineries are located within its boundaries.
Geography and climate
The Sierra Foothills AVA contains portions of eight California counties:
Amador,
Calaveras,
El Dorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
,
Mariposa,
Nevada,
Placer,
Tuolumne and
Yuba. The total area is , one of the largest viticultural areas in the state of California.
History
Wine grapes were first planted in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada during the California Gold Rush of the late 1840s and early 1850s. Federal recognition of the viticultural area occurred on November 18, 1987.
Vineyards
of the appellation are planted to grapevines. The most common grape
variety is
Zinfandel
Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...
, which accounts for .
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
is planted on , and
Syrah
Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...
is planted to . The most common white grape variety is
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
, planted to . Other grape varieties are grown in smaller quantities. Vineyards are generally planted in locations between
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
.
There are over 100 wineries located within the Sierra Foothills AVA. 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.
Wineries in the Sierra Foothills AVA
*
Bear River Winery
*
Lone Buffalo Winery
*
Ironstone Vineyards
*
Le Casque Winery
*
Wise Villa Winery
*
Bella Grace Vineyards
See also
*
California wine
References
{{Coord missing, California
American Viticultural Areas of California
American Viticultural Areas
Sierra Nevada (United States)
Geography of Amador County, California
Geography of Calaveras County, California
Geography of El Dorado County, California
Geography of Mariposa County, California
Geography of Nevada County, California
Geography of Yuba County, California
1987 establishments in California