Читать книгу Sonoma County - Tina Caputo - Страница 5
ОглавлениеNapa might be the first Californian region to spring to a newcomer’s mind, but spectacular terrain, diverse terroirs and a warm welcome make Sonoma the favourite for many
When I moved from Michigan to San Francisco 25 years ago, there was only one California wine region I knew anything about: the Napa Valley. Working in upscale restaurants during college had taught me that much. Sure, I had heard of Sonoma, but it was the Mary Ann to Napa’s Ginger; the hamburger to Napa’s filet mignon; the shelter mutt to Napa’s show dog.
After landing a job at the Wine Institute, a lobbying and promotional organisation for the California wine industry, I began to learn about and appreciate Napa’s less-famous neighbour. Touring wineries on weekends, I discovered that Sonoma County had all the rural beauty of the Napa Valley, but with less traffic and a more welcoming, laid-back vibe. Oh, and delicious wine, too! For less money!
For a 20-something wine lover with limited funds at my disposal, those were major selling points.
When out-of-state friends and family came to visit and asked to see “wine country”, I did my best to steer them towards Sonoma. Sadly, this was something of an uphill battle in the 1990s. Everyone had heard of the Napa Valley and its famous Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays, but Sonoma? Not so much.
This was disappointing, but I did not let it deter me. I knew that once they had visited Napa, they would be willing to branch out and give Sonoma a chance. And they did.
A diverse, generous landscape
Soon, my guests began to understand my love and fascination for Sonoma County, with its 4,400 km2 (1,700 square miles) of windswept coastal ridges, rolling hills and redwood forests. Just as I had, they discovered that the region’s diversity of climate, terrain and soils makes it possible to grow everything from cool-climate Pinot Noir to old vine Zinfandel to mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that rivals Napa Valley’s finest. From the Sonoma Coast to the Alexander Valley, there’s so much to explore and enjoy!
As a wine writer, people often ask me to name my favourite wine or grape variety, and the question always stumps me. On a crisp December day, while eating freshly cracked Dungeness crab, there’s nothing I want more than a Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. When it’s cold and rainy outside, and a savoury cassoulet bubbles in the oven, I would like nothing better than a glass of Russian River Pinot Noir. And what finer way to end the day than with a brooding Cabernet Sauvignon from Knights Valley.
In Sonoma, you can have it all.
