Zinfandel Producing Regions

Amador County

I visited Amador County some time ago, but never got up the reviews. I will be returning soon for photos and reviews, which will be posted this time.

Lodi

Lodi is the biggest Zinfandel region in the state, producing 41% of the Zinfandel grapes in California. This means there are some really nice old vineyards, some stressing soil conditions, and a wide diversity in both growing and winemaking. Some winemakers, and growers, go with low yield, carefully tended vineyards, and end up with some great tasting wines. Others seem to concentrate on quantity rather than quality, and it shows. While I found a lot of Zinfandel producers that I really liked, and will put on the web site, I also ran into more than I expected that I cannot include here. It is a region that I would suggest visiting, but be careful which wineries you take the time to visit. There are also a couple that don't have open tasting rooms, but are well worth searching out. There are still a few wineries without web sites that I will be adding in the next week.

Napa County

The land of Cabernet Sauvignon also has some great Zinfandel producers. From the very north end of the valley, down to the southern end, there are wineries that have Zinfandel as either their main varietal, or just a small amount of the total production. In all cases, the area can produce a smooth, elegant version of Zinfandel which is unlike that from other areas.

Paso Robles

Home of one of the TOP producers, and mailing list desirables. When we visited this area, it was a pleasant surprise. The quality of the wine was better than expected, and the huge diversity in wineries provided an interesting dimension. Some wineries were nothing more than garages, running from basic to "converted". Some were basic wineries, little more than tin barns, dedicated to wine production, with little or no added comforts. The final category was "Theme" wineries. These range from those that arose from a unique historic building, or area, and the owners worked up from that theme, all the way to magnificent edifices built around an idea, where the wine almost appears to be an afterthought.

Sonoma County

We feel that Sonoma County is the center of the Zinfandel universe. Also, since we spend most of our time in Wine Country in Sonoma County, this is the area with the most reviews. The region is large, consisting of numerous AVAs. I have broken it down to Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Healdsburg, Russian River Valley and Sonoma County. Healdsburg, while not an AVA, is almost a complete wine tasting destination by itself. Numerous wineries that are not in Healdsburg have the primary, or a second tasting room in the town. There are also a number of excellent places to eat.