The Most Common Questions People Ask When Visiting Wine Country

A Tour Group at Capo Creek Winery.

Just like you don’t need to understand automotive mechanics to drive a car, you don’t need to understand winemaking to enjoy drinking wine. But, wow, it sure is fun to learn about and will deepen your appreciation of wine in the process! When we drink wine, we’re participating in a tradition that goes back more than 8,000 years. Winemaking is a nuanced, seemingly magical, process that combines agriculture, artistry, and chemistry. When I give tours in Sonoma and Napa, a big part of my job is helping people understand the language of wine country so they feel more empowered and knowledgeable about their preferences. With that in mind, I’m answering the most common questions I get asked on wine tours to help you better understand the ABC’s of wine country.

Drinking Zinfandel at A. Rafanelli Winery in Dry Creek Valley.

What makes wine from this region so special?

In California, we make wine across the whole state, from the border of Oregon to the border of Mexico, from the Pacific coast to the Sierra foothills. 75% of the wines grown here are from the Central Valley. These are boxed wines, inexpensive wines like “Two Buck Chuck,” and other less expensive grocery store wines. Combined, Napa and Sonoma wines represent only 10% of the wines made in the state. Despite that small percentage, we're known around the world for our award-winning wines. This is due to having a Mediterranean climate with hot summer days and cold nights. Typically, there’s a 30-degree temperature drop between the day and night. Those hot days give us good sugar levels, while the cold nights give us good acid levels. That balance is key to what makes our wines so special.

B.R. Cohn Winery in Sonoma Valley AVA.

What is an AVA?

An AVA is a wine growing region. The letters AVA stands for American Viticultural Area, viticulture being the science of growing wine grapes. What distinguishes one AVA from another is terroir. Terroir is what we use to describe the combined effect of the soils, temperatures, wind, fog, precipitation, and elevation on the grapes. All of these things are just a little bit different among each of the AVA’s. The terroir influences the grape’s quality and flavor profile. When AVA is listed on a wine label it means 85% of the wine in that bottle is from that particular AVA. There are 16 AVAs in Napa and 19 in Sonoma County. There are four distinct AVAs with notable terroir in Sonoma County that I spend a lot of time in: Russian River, Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek Valley. Some newer AVA’s are Fountain Grove (established in 2023), West Sonoma Coast (established in 2022) and the Petaluma Gap (established in 2018).

Grapes ready to be harvested.

What grapes are grown in these AVAs?

Sonoma County is one of the most diverse growing regions in the world. We have more varietals of grapes than just about anywhere but Italy. Sonoma alone has 60 different varietals of grapes. Certain grapes, like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay need a cool climate to grow in. They thrive in the Russian River, Sonoma Coast, and Petaluma Gap AVAs where nice cool winds come up from the Sonoma coast. Los Carneros is another cool climate AVA, where the cool wind comes from the San Francisco Bay. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes grow well there too.

One of my favorite grape varietals is Zinfandel, which can grow in either a cool or warm climate. The original varietal came from Croatia, but we like to claim it as our own. In Italy, it's known as a ‘primitivo.’ Here, we brand Zinfandel a California grape varietal. There are beautiful, old vine Zinfandel grapes in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. Zinfandel in the Russian River AVA is a completely different style of wine. It’s a little bit lighter, fresher, and fruitier. As you head east into the Alexander Valley AVA, you’ll find nice Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc grow well in that area. In the Sonoma Valley AVA, we grow a very diverse range of grapes. Cabernet and Merlot are the most planted, but you’ll also find other grapes such as Syrah, Grenache, and Sangiovese.

B. Wise Vineyards in Moon Mountain AVA.

What is the difference between a vineyard, tasting room, winery, cellar, and cave? 

A vineyard is where the magic begins. It’s the physical land where the grapes vines are planted and grown. After the grapes are picked, they go to the winery where they’re turned into wine. Some winemakers will make their wine at their own winery on the same property as their vineyard. Some bring their grapes to a custom crush facility, where they use the facility’s equipment to process the grapes. After the wine is made, it goes to a temperature-controlled cellar for storage. The cellar is at the custom crush facility or at the winery. A wine cave is another type of cellar. Large holes are bored into the ground to create these caves because the temperature is naturally consistent. This way the wineries don’t need a temperature-controlled storage area, which can cost as much as $100,000 a year. A tasting room is exactly what it sounds like. It’s where people go to try the wine. The tasting room is often at the winery or near the vineyards, but not always. Wineries may have tasting rooms in downtown shopping areas far from the winery or vineyards, or even in warehouse districts.

Grapes going to be crushed at Balletto Vineyards in Russia River AVA.

How is the wine actually made?

At the vineyard, the grapes are picked in the middle of the night to keep them cool, which prevents them from going into fermentation from a wild yeast they contain. Because of topography and vine spacing, they are typically picked by hand. Once the grapes come in, they’re hand sorted to pick out any MOG, which stands for “matter other than grapes.” MOG could be sticks, bugs, stones, or other assorted debris. When hand sorting, they also pick out any grapes that aren’t ripe enough or have dried into raisins. Next, the grapes go through a de-stemming process. They’re loaded into a machine that pops the berries off the stems while leaving the grapes intact. Not everyone de-stems their grapes. Some people like to ferment their wine on the stem, which we call ‘whole cluster press.’

Typically, wine is made on a crush pad, which is like a huge patio-type area. Often, it's an outside area covered with a large awning. If they’re making white wine, the grapes will get pressed or crushed before fermentation, separating the juice from the skins, and the fermentation of the juice will happen without the skins. If they’re making red wine, the grapes will go into the fermentation tank with skins on, then get pressed after the fermentation is complete. This is because the color of red wine comes from the skins. Rosé will ferment on the skins for anywhere from one hour to up to 8 hours to just give it the right amount of color. When the wine leaves the crush pad, it goes to the cellar where it will age for anywhere from 6 months to four years.

Some wine is aged in oak barrels, most often red wine and Chardonnay. Some is aged in stainless steel. Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc come to mind. Though less common, wine can also be aged in amphoras (large clay vessels) and concrete, which imparts a more “minerally” taste to the wine. Different vessels give different flavors and what we call “mouthfeel.” (More on that below.)

During the winemaking process, there are many variables - which yeast to add, how long the fermentation will take, whether to use a bladder press, a basket press, or stomp the grapes with their feet, what the wine gets aged in, and more. If they’re using oak barrels, they’re also considering where the oak came from. This is why the same grapes from the same vineyard can produce very different wines. It’s all part of the winemaking magic.

Amphoras and oak barrels in a wine cave.

Where does the oak come from?

The oak for oak barrels come from different places. Primarily, they come from forests in France, but we also grow oak for oak barrels here in America. American oak is the most affordable. An American oak barrel costs about $500. A Hungarian oak goes for about $900. A French oak barrel can cost anywhere from $1000 to $2000. I know some wine makers who use different barrels from different forests like you’d use a spice rack. They’ll put some in this barrel and taste it. They'll make some in another barrel and taste that. So, they get used to the flavors of the wine from different barrels and know how to blend them to create the flavors they want. If you age the same wine in three different barrels from three different regions, you’ll get three very different wines.

The reason French oak is so much more expensive is because it has a tighter grain. The tighter a barrel’s grain, the less evaporation you’ll have because the wine barrels always “breathe.” Every month the winemakers top off the barrels because the levels will lower due to evaporation. This reduces the amount of oxygen the wine is exposed to while it’s aging.

Wine tasting at Waldele Family wines.

How do you describe the flavor of these wines?

It’s hard to talk about flavor nuances because vintners are always experimenting and each terroir is different so the same varietal can taste differently from one vineyard to the next. For example, you could get an old vine Zin from Dry Creek that’s heavier, jammier, and with a higher alcohol content, but a Zin from Russian River will be more appealing to Pinot Noir fans. In general, the Pinot Noir tends to be a bit lighter in style, sometimes a little more earthy, sometimes a little more fruit forward. Cabernets tend to be a bigger bodied, more intense wine with nuances of leather and pipe tobacco. In Napa, the wines can be heavier on the tannins. In Sonoma, they tend to be softer as the temperatures don’t get as high as they do in Napa. 

Whether a wine is aged in oak or stainless steel also affects its style. Oak can impart a flavor, depending on its age, as well as a mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is kind of like the viscosity of whole milk versus nonfat milk. Chardonnay, typically aged in oak, is richer in your mouth, like whole milk. It has a bigger, fuller, more “round” mouthfeel. Whereas, a Sauvignon Blanc, typically aged in stainless steel, will feel lighter in your mouth like nonfat milk. Other flavors people might identify with oak are smokiness, caramel, or brown sugar. For example, when I’m smelling an oaked Pinot Noir, sometimes I smell a lot of caramel. But everyone’s palate is different and will identify different flavors when tasting. There are also wines made in oak barrels that are considered “neutral.” Since the oak imparts less flavor every year, it’s considered neutral after 4 years. This means the barrel doesn’t affect the flavor of the wine, only the mouthfeel. I’m thinking of Fume Blanc, which is a Sauvignon Blanc typically aged in neutral oak.

Wine and food offerings at Kamen Estate Wines.

What's the best way to taste wine?

When I give tours to people who are new to tasting wine I talk to them about the 5 S’s. The first S is to SEE the wine. Look at the color and the clarity. The second S is SWIRL. Hold the glass and swirl it gently in your hand to aerate it, which we call opening it up. That softens the wine. The Third S is SMELL. Stick your nose all the way into the glass and take in the aroma. Sometimes I blow very gently into the glass to get a stronger sense of the “nose” beyond the alcohol. The fourth S is SIP. Coat your whole mouth with the wine, swish it around. The fifth S is SAVOR. The most important part is that you enjoy it!

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