Surprisingly, Napa Valley, with its outsized personality, is only 30 miles long and a few miles wide, and has only one-sixth the vineyard acreage as Bordeaux.įollow the Silverado Trail, constructed in 1852, which links the towns of Napa and Calistoga wineries glimmer along the vineyard-laden route, and you could get whiplash by reading all the famous names you pass along the way. Now 16 sub AVAs, each with its own unique characteristics, comprise the larger region. Napa Valley was established as California’s first AVA in 1981. These signature grapes still dominate the landscape, but the next generation of intrepid winemakers are experimenting with a range of varieties and giving new energy to this popular region. The famous Judgment of Paris - where Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars‘ Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Montelena’s Chardonnay beat out French Bordeaux and Burgundies in a blind tasting - quickly changed that, and Napa Valley cabernets and chardonnarys were thrust into the spotlight. While Napa Valley was gaining recognition domestically, it was largely dismissed by the rest of the world. Luckily, resilient winemakers began rebuilding Napa Valley once Prohibition was repealed. The wine boom soon imploded: a surplus of grapes, the invasion of phylloxera - a pest that decimates vines - in the vineyards, and Prohibition nearly destroyed almost a century’s worth of work. In 1861, Charles Krug established what is considered the first commercial winery and led the charge for future companies, many of which still operate today, such as Beringer, Inglenook, and Schramsberg. George Yount first planted grapes in 1839 and was soon followed by other settlers who brought Vitis Vinifera to the region. Here’s a primer on this storied wine region and its top varietals, best enjoyed with a glass of none other than Napa Valley wine.
The area, which is still dominated by family-owned wineries, attracts all types of wine drinkers, from novices to collectors. Long synonymous with American wine, Napa Valley is one of the United States’ premier winemaking regions in the country.
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