Sonoma County ‘100% sustainability’ target is a red herring
Sonoma winemakers' plan to be the 'first 100% sustainable county' in the US is a well-intentioned but ultimately meaningless goal for most wine drinkers.
Sonoma wine region
Credit: Trent Erwin / Unsplash
Sonoma County is the most diverse wine-growing region in the USA. Three-times the size of Napa County, it comprises 13 AVAs divided across three main areas: Sonoma Valley, Northern Sonoma and Sonoma Coast.
The ‘true’ Sonoma Coast, where many vineyards cling to ridges just 3km to 8km from the Pacific Ocean – not to be confused with the ‘official’ Sonoma Coast AVA, which is ridiculously large at 200,000ha and includes parts of the warmer Carneros and Sonoma Valley appellations – is a hot spot for cool-climate Pinots with crystalline fruit, high acidities and lower alcohols.
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Sonoma producers protest new labelling law
Small producers in Sonoma County are angered by new legislation requiring them to label their wines Sonoma County even if they are part of specific sub-appellations.
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Former Screaming Eagle co-owner buys Sonoma's Wind Gap
The former co-owner of Screaming Eagle – Charles Banks – has purchased a controlling share in Wind Gap winery, Sonoma.
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Sonoma's Ledson buys Moon Mountain land
Sonoma producer Steve Ledson has bought 53ha in Sonoma Valley’s Moon Mountain, a region that is currently being considered for official AVA status.
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Codorniu's Sonoma plans opposed by monastic order
Three environmental organisations and a monastic community are suing Codorniu's US subsidiary and the state of California over a new vineyard in Sonoma.
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Sonoma's Landmark Vineyards sold to Fiji Water
The billionaire owner of Fiji Water, Stewart Resnick, has made his second major wine buy in a year with the acquisition of Sonoma Chardonnay specialist Landmark Vineyards.
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Sonoma growers face nervous wait
Wine growers on the Sonoma Coast and in the Russian River Valley face a nail-biting wait to discover if 2010 will be a great vintage – or ruined by rain.
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Cool-climate California Pinot Noir
Marginal sites are now producing world-class Pinot Noir...
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Sonoma pioneer Robert Young dies
Robert Young, the Sonoma County wine pioneer, has died at the age of 90.
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Pinot Noir overtakes Cabernet in Sonoma County, Merlot is ‘dismal’
Pinot Noir prices overtook Cabernet Sauvignon in Sonoma County last year for the first time – and look set to continue, according to the Sonoma Wine Grape Commission.
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Sonoma law tightens label descriptions
A new law signed by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger restricts the use of the word ‘Sonoma’ to wines made with at least 75% Sonoma grapes.
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Sonoma: growers vs greens
Sonoma growers are fighting a pitched battle with environmentalists trying to restrict their rights to plant alongside the Russian River.
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Sonoma champion Rodney Strong dies aged 78
Rodney Strong, Broadway dancer and Sonoma Valley pioneer has died aged 78.
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Wildfire threatens Sonoma wine country
Wildfires which looked to threaten Sonoma wine country should be under control by tomorrow morning, firefighters said.
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Mapping Sonoma
Ted Loos maps out Sonoma's regional variations...
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Phelps takes on Sonoma environmentalists
California winery Joseph Phelps is gearing up for a fight with a group of radical hippy survivors from 1960s San Francisco.
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Establishing the Sonoma Coast AVA
There's a distinct whiff of fashionability in the mountain air along California's Sonoma Coast. STEPHEN BROOK offers some style notes on the vineyards of this exclusive enclave.
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Interview with Vanessa Wong
Taking over as winemaker at a California cult winery is no easy task. Vanessa Wong, who has done just that at the Peter Michael Winery, talks to SUSAN KEEVIL
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Sonoma: Naked Chardonnay
The global popularity of Chardonnay shows no sign of waning. RICHARD MAYSON goes Stateside in search of California's finest and strips Sonoma bare.
