Wineries
Breweries
Lodging
** Detailed information compiled by ViciVino.com staff |
Restaurants
Spas
Other Activities
Full disclosure here. We’ve been coming to the Russian River area for one reason or another for the last 30 years. There’s no
other region that has the sentimental memories, from camping to canoeing to wine tasting. But no other region really exemplifies
wine regions the way the Russian River Valley does. Rolling hills, smaller vineyards, and the Russian River running through on
its way to the Pacific. If there’s such a thing as great grape karma, this is where to find it.
As with many of the other wine growing areas in Northern California, the Russian River area has a history going back over 100 years,
to people settling in the area after the California Gold Rush. The Russian River Valley AVA was only formed in 1983, however. One
of the defining features of the Russian River area is that it’s closer to the ocean (not just a bay) than the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
This results in more fog at night, larger temperature swings from high to low, and a longer growing season when compared to its
neighbors.
Also, just calling this the Russian River Valley is to slight the other AVAs in the region. This area, from Petaluma in the south to
Cloverdale in the north, from the edge of the Sonoma Valley on the east to the Pacific coast on the west, has a number of AVAs, each with
its own microclimate. The Russian River Valley AVA, best known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, actually has two subsidiary AVAs, Green Valley in the west (think Pinot Noir)
and Chalk Hill in the east (Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel). Then there's the Alexander Valley, home to the Bordeaux varietals, both red
and white. There's the Dry Creek Valley, home for some of the best Zinfandel in California. There's the Rockpile AVA, newly formed because
of its unique take on grapes, especially Zin. And then there's the Sonoma Coast AVA, sort of a catch-all for everything else, but home
to some of the best Pinot Noir vineyards anywhere.
Visiting the area means trying these wines in some of the outstanding restaurants in the Healdsburg and Santa Rosa and the other towns,
staying in a cute B&B, pairing wines with some of the artisan cheeses made in the area, or just exploring the beauty of the rivers, the
hills and the valleys.
Russian River map
Russian River events
Dry Creek Valley map
Dry Creek Valley events
Alexander Valley map
Alexander Valley events
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