Wine - California - Central Valley - General Information

Front 1

Where within California is the Central Valley?

Back 1

The viticultural area of this huge fertile valley stretches 400 miles (640 kilometers) from Redding in the north to Bakersfield in the south, running between the Coastal Ranges to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east.

Front 2

What is the climate like in the Central Valley of California?

Back 2

(p470)

Generally homogenous from end to end, warming steadily from Region IV in the north to Region V in the south. The area around Lodi is the only exception, being cooled by sea air sweeping up the Sacramento River.

Front 3

What is the aspect of the Central Valley of California?

Back 3

The vines are grown on the vast flat area of the valley floors, intersected and irrigated by a network of levees.

Front 4

What is the soil like in the Central Valley of California?

Back 4

Very fertile sandy loam dominates the length and breadth of the valley.

Front 5

What are the winemaking techniques and tendencies of the Central Valley of California?

Back 5

Production of vast quantities of reliable-quality jug wine, using the latest techniques of mechanization and irrigation, and a virtually continuous fermentation and bottling process. Somewhat higher-quality Zinfandel and sweet dessert wines are produced around Lodi.

Front 6

How much of California's wine is produced in the Central Valley?

Back 6

Three-quarters of all California wine; one company, Gallo, produces half of that. The vast majority of this is reliable-quality jug wine.

Front 7

How important are the AVAs of the Central Valley of California?

Back 7

The Central Valley AVAs are an irrelevance because the state's largest wineries (particularly Gallo, but also Mondavi in Woodbridge, in the heart of Lodi) have ignored them. When they select exceptional wines to bear and show off these AVAs, perhaps consumers will no longer be dismissive of the Central Valley.