{"id":792,"date":"2022-05-26T19:24:11","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T02:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.inedc.com\/22\/?p=792"},"modified":"2022-05-26T19:24:45","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T02:24:45","slug":"californias-sierra-foothills-remain-a-land-of-opportunity-for-winemakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.inedc.com\/22\/05\/26\/californias-sierra-foothills-remain-a-land-of-opportunity-for-winemakers\/","title":{"rendered":"California\u2019s Sierra Foothills Remain a Land of Opportunity for Winemakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Paolo Bicchieri May 26, 2022)<\/p>\n

PLACERVILLE, Calif. May 26, 2022 \u2014 When<\/span><\/span>\u00a0sommelier Guy Tucker moved to the Sierra Foothills, a vast region in the northeastern part of California where the Sierra Nevadas peter out into the Central Valley, it wasn\u2019t because of wine. In 2016, Tucker and his wife were empty-nesters, and the time had come for something new, he says. They were drawn to the area by the rolling hills and titanic expanses of open land unfolding into the horizon \u2014 plus the cost of living was lower than in the Bay Area, where they\u2019d been living since 1999.<\/p>\n

It was only after they settled into their home that they began exploring some of the hundred-odd wineries throughout the region. Tucker remembers setting out on alpine hikes and stumbling across small wine operations. He\u2019d often be the only person tasting his way through samples of zinfandels and barberas for hours at a time. The relative solitude made each one feel like a true discovery, he says. \u201cAs we were exploring around, we started seeing these amazing vineyards tucked into little nooks and crannies in the hills and surrounded by towering pines,\u201d he says. \u201cThis piqued our curiosity, and we started trying some of the wine.\u201d<\/p>\n

These days, however, the Sierra Foothills have lost some of that charm, Tucker says. Since he moved to Somerset in El Dorado County just six years ago, there\u2019s been an\u00a0explosion of attention<\/a>\u00a0focused on the Sierra Foothills as a\u00a0wine destination<\/a>; according to the Amador Vintner Association, per vineyard acre, more\u00a0award-winning wines<\/a>\u00a0come from Amador County than any other region in the United States. But as interest in the Sierra Foothills has grown, so have tensions in the region as bigger wineries \u2014 including some with deep roots in northern California\u2019s more commercial wine regions like Napa and Sonoma \u2014 begin to move in. Turley Wine Cellars moved to\u00a0Plymouth<\/a>\u00a0in 2001, then Rombauer expanded with a\u00a0new tasting room<\/a>\u00a0in the same Sierra Foothills city in 2019. COVID slowed some of the momentum, but didn\u2019t stop it, Tucker says.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a number of reasons why winemakers might set their sights on the Sierra Foothills, he says. It could be the higher cost of development in Sonoma and Napa or the (relatively) more fire-resistant nature of the mountainous area. But it could also be what he\u2019s known for years: that in the Sierra Foothills, there\u2019s more opportunity to experiment and reach new heights in winemaking. \u201cThe new generation understands what you can do with this region,\u201d Tucker says. \u201cThey\u2019re open to more than just cabernet sauvignon.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1848, the Gold Rush brought thousands of southern Europeans to northern California\u2019s foothills, all hoping to strike it rich off the land, which is the ancestral home of both the Sierra Miwok and Nisenan. Today the 2.6 million acres that comprise the Sierra Foothills American Viticultural Area are known for rocky terroirs, sunny days, and cold nights due to alpine winds that cascade down the mountains. It\u2019s one of the\u00a0biggest wine regions in the United States<\/a>\u00a0and runs from Yuba County in the north to Mariposa County in the south.<\/p>\n

Early Italian settlers arriving in the late 19th century noticed the environment felt a lot like home, and planted the region\u2019s first Old World grapes including the\u00a0oldest zinfandel grapes in the United States<\/a>, plus tempranillo and syrah. Barbera, a slightly more obscure varietal, is gaining popularity and has always grown well in the area, too. By 1920, the area, then known as \u201cthe Mother Lode<\/a>,\u201d hosted more than 100 winemakers; today there are more than 40 wineries in Amador County alone, the majority being boutique and family-owned.<\/p>\n

In terms of what makes the region unique for winemakers, the geography is the first and main difference between Napa and the Sierra Foothills, Tucker says. The region isn\u2019t centralized or dense, which also makes it more cumbersome to visit in one day. He points out, too, that quality of the wine produced in the Sierra Foothills runs the gamut from excellent to acceptable; with less pressure to perform, vintners in the region end up experimenting \u2014 producing successes and, at times, failures. \u201cIn Napa you can point and you\u2019ll find good wine,\u201d Tucker says. \u201cNot so in the foothills. You gotta know where to go.\u201d That\u2019s why Tucker started Foothills Wino, an online guide to taking the foothills\u2019 terroir to task.<\/p>\n

\"Zinfandel<\/picture><\/span><\/span>
Some of the country\u2019s oldest zinfandel grapes grow in the Sierra Foothills.<\/figcaption>\u00a0Ray Anderson<\/cite><\/span><\/figure>\n

But the grapes also make the Sierra Foothills a worthy destination. While Napa is historically known for its rich, buttery chardonnays and big, bold cabernet sauvignons, the many microclimates and soil types in the Sierra Nevadas mean plenty of grapes grow there, and in myriad ways. High elevation tends to bring greater acidity; while Napa goes up to about 2,000 or 2,200 feet, and the foothills can hit 3,400 to 3,500 feet of elevation. But that range also means what works well in El Dorado County doesn\u2019t always translate to Amador. Tucker says that\u2019s a strength, but also can hurt the marketability of the area \u2014 it\u2019s not as easy to describe.<\/p>\n

Margaret Schroeder, the executive director of the Amador Vintners Association, says the area\u2019s water usage is also better suited to weather the historic California drought and the\u00a0impacts of climate change<\/a>\u00a0on the global food system. \u201cOver 30 percent of the vines are dry farmed, so city water isn\u2019t needed,\u201d Schroeder says. \u201cWe\u2019re ahead of the game when it comes to climate change. We have old, heat-tolerant vines.\u201d Schroeder may be new to the foothills \u2014 she took up her new role at the beginning of 2022 \u2014 but she already pushes back on the idea the region would lose its small town charm in favor of the ultra luxe energy of its neighboring wine regions to the west. \u201cWe were here before Napa,\u201d Schroeder says. \u201cI consider us to be that trailblazing wine region. We don\u2019t want to be anything like Napa.\u201d<\/p>\n

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