Sierra Foothills

The California Gold Country is also a wine region. Originating back to the gold rush days, the first grapes were planted in the 1850s, as a lot of wine was needed to quench the thirst of the Forty-Niner population that migrated to the state at this time. The Sierra Foothills AVA stretches from Yuba County in the north to Mariposa County in the south, along the western portion of the Sierra Nevada, with Amador, El Dorado and Calaveras counties in the center. Within the entire Sierra Foothills AVA, which totals 2,600,000 acres, there are five other AVAs:

El Dorado:  The El Dorado AVA is comprised of rugged, mountainous terroir. The thin, austere soils of the region are ideal for Zinfandel; but Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Barbera, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Sierra Foothills Wineries are known for producing these wines.

Fair Play:  The Fair Play AVA is a hill-top sub-region of Sierra Foothills Wine Country. The AVA has relatively fertile soil compared to other grape growing regions in the Sierra Foothills. But this is balanced by the wine region’s extremely high elevation and cool, windy climate. So the soil is forgiving compared to other Sierra Foothills Wineries, but the climate is marginal.

California Shenandoah Valley:  The oldest Sierra Foothills Wineries are in the Shenandoah Valley AVA. Wine has been made here since the Gold Rush. It’s located in Amador County, and has a sunny climate that produces wines of considerable depth. In addition, there are some extremely old Zinfandel vineyards in this historic part of Sierra Foothills Wine Country.

Fiddletown:  The Fiddletown AVA is also in Amador County and sits adjacent to Shenandoah Valley, but at a higher elevation. If the soils were any less fertile, they simply would not be able to sustain vineyards. But this feature produces extracted Zinfandel with dark pigments, strong tannins and high alcohol.

North Yuba:  Yuba County has a long history of wine-making. During the Gold Rush, the wine region of Yuba became famous throughout the United States.  Fortune Magazine recognized this fact in its 1933 issue describing the wine regions of the U.S.

Amador County:  click here

The region crushes about 0.6 percent of the state’s total wine grape production. 

Soils: Most of the vineyards at the 2,000 foot elevation are planted in soil made of decomposed granite, a product of erosion from the Sierra Nevada range. At the higher elevations (close to 3,000 feet) the soil is composed of finely crushed volcanic rock thrown up some ten million years ago by volcanoes in the Lake Tahoe area. Both types of soil have good drainage and very few nutrients, forcing the vines to send their roots deep into the soil to hunt for food and water. The substantial root structure allows the grapes to take on the flavors of the specific vineyard site and produce richer, more deeply flavored grapes.

Varietals:  The total wine grape vineyard acreage in the Sierra Foothills AVA is 5,700 acres. Zinfandel has the largest amount of plantings with 2,400 acres, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with 625 acres, Syrah, 559 acres, Chardonnay, 297 acres, Merlot, 283 acres, and Barbera, 244 acres.