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 wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about t ...

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 primar ...

in the U.S. state of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

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 f ...

. 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 ...

, Mariposa,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, 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 Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

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 Kašt ...

, 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 ...

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 France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

, 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''. Th ...

. 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 Lone Buffalo Vineyards is a winery in Auburn, California in the United States. History Lone Buffalo was started in 2007 by the Maddux family in Auburn, California. They owned a one-acre vineyard. Phil Maddux, who is the winemaker and works as ...

Ironstone Vineyards Ironstone Vineyards is a winery that is noted for the production of several leading US wine brands, including Obsession Wines, Leaping Horse Vineyards, Christine Andrew, Stone Valley, and Drifting. As of 2004, Ironstone has been listed as the 17th ...

Le Casque Winery Le Casque Winery is a winery in Loomis, California in the United States. Le Casque Winery is located within the Sierra Foothills AVA and more specifically within Placer County. History Le Casque Wines was founded in 2006 by the Stevenson famil ...

* Wise Villa Winery * Bella Grace Vineyards

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

Geography and climate

History

Vineyards

Wineries in the Sierra Foothills AVA

See also

References