A fresh look at the Californian wine scene

When we think of wines from California, most of us will go straight to the well-known and much visited areas of Napa, Sonoma and even Mendocino. With over 200 wineries in Napa alone, not to mention countless restaurants, art galleries, wine tours and eye-popping architecture (not always good) the Northern Californian wine scene has become a commercially maximised tourist destination.

An hour or so south on the Central Coast, however, are small, family owned wineries perched high up in the Santa Cruz mountain range. While still considered an emerging wine region, grapes have been cultivated and vinified here since the mid 19^th century and several of the family wineries have been going since – although the Prohibition years put paid to several foundering businesses in the area. The unique micro-climate here comes from the region’s location, receiving warm ocean winds from the Pacific but a cooling afternoon fog which results in a long growing season and a slow ripening of fruit.

What you won’t get here is the ostentation and pompousness of Napa, as most of the estates are fairly modest with a focus on the wines – although the views can sometimes offer strong competition. A drive along Skyline Boulevard scales the tops of the hills along the central spine of the range. With great views, this is also the best route to most of the wineries of the appellation. And, being so close to the heart of Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale and San Jose are minutes away from some wineries) you could easily add on a wine tour to a techy business trip.

Of the wineries we visited, David Bruce is probably the best known. Bruce planted his first vines at over 2,000 feet in the heart of the Santa Cruz mountains by hand in 1961. Today it is a large winery for the Santa Cruz region, producing 60,000 cases a year of mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but also Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. David Bruce’s 1973 Chardonnay was one of twelve Californian wines chosen to participate in the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris and ranked 10^th in the blind tasting which finally put Californian wines on the Old World map. http://www.davidbrucewinery.com/

Ridge is another winery with an elevated estate which has been making single vineyard wines since 1962, having acquired an old vineyard which had been abandoned during the Prohibition. Ridge’s master winemaker has recently been crowned Winemakers’ Winemaker at the industry event Prowein in Dusseldorf. While Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the main varieties here, the other Californian staples of Merlot and Zinfandel are also grown as well as some Petite Syrah - a notable wine is the Monte Bello Library. Their outdoor picnic area has fabulous views even though the large signs warning of rattle snakes might be somewhat distracting. http://www.ridgewine.com/

Burrell School winery is a more basic establishment housed in an old school, although the views from its terrace are amazing. Don’t be put off by their hokey website and their insistence on using school-based nomenclature for their wines – the wines here are superb, from the Principal’s Choice Pinot Noir to the Teacher’s Pet Chardonnay. http://www.burrellschool.com/

Other wineries worth a visit on a drive along the Skyline Boulevard are Thomas Fogarty in Woodside for its Pinot Noir (http://www.fogartywinery.com/) and Testarossa in Los Gatos, which is the oldest continuously operating winery in the region http://www.testarossa.com/.

And, lastly, if you happen to be on the East Coast of the US, you could explore the slowly emerging wine scene in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. In the northern Georgia region, which we visited we found large vineyards and some pretty decent wines, such as Frogtown Cellars and Wolf Mountain Wineries. Here, vineyards of grape varieties from Viognier to Sangiovese abound and wines tend to be blended in a more traditional European style.

Most wineries charge $10 and up for a flight tasting, which is usually deducted against any wine purchased. It is best to check opening times as not all wineries operate a tasting room open to visitors.