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Types of Wine from the Sierra Foothills of California
The Sierra Foothills AVA (American Viticultural Area) runs between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the hot valley. This narrow band-shaped area has been planted with wine grapes since the days of the Gold Rush miners around 1850. Federal recognition of the AVA took place on November 18, 1987.
Part of the wine-producing counties of Calaveras, Nevada, Placer, Yuba, Tuolumne, Amador, El Dorado, and Mariposa go right the way into the Sierra Foothills. The granite soils were formed by erosion and this type of soil is quite testing for the grapevines, since they must force their roots really deep into the soil to suck up the nutrients.
The Sierra Foothills AVA consists of five sub-appellations, and those are El Dorado, Fair Play, North Yuba, Fiddletown, and Shenandoah Valley. The Sierra Foothills AVA is 2.6 million acres, making it one of the biggest AVAs in the state of California.
Sierra Foothills Zinfandel
The most widely planted varietal in the Sierra Foothills today is Zinfandel. This is followed by Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Zinfandel goes with all kinds of tasty recipes, like pizza, ribs, chili, roasted meats, and pasta with tomato sauce, burgers and more.
Try it with a grilled cheeseburger, some tandoori lamb, or a spicy Mexican beef recipe. It is believed that Zinfandel was introduced to California a long time ago from Europe, perhaps Hungary, although the original grape is thought to have originated in Italy.
Sierra Foothills Barbera
Barbera, which is originally from Italy's Piedmont area, is a good pairing with a lot of Italian-American recipes. It tastes great with anything from pesto pasta or lasagna to pepperoni pizza or pasta in tomato sauce. You can also drink Barbera with grilled or roast meat, or even with a bacon cheeseburger.
Sierra Foothills Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is wonderful with cilantro pesto, seafood, moderately spicy food, and chicken. Its herbal aromas and bright acidity makes it nice with salads, especially if you use goat's cheese on the salad, and many fish recipes.
Not many types of wine are good with raw tomatoes or asparagus but Sauvignon Blanc is nice with such foods. It is also good with recipes containing fresh herbs, especially parsley and cilantro. The most common white grape planted in this region is actually Chardonnay, which takes up 289 acres, although the Sauvignon Blanc from this region is especially noted.
Wine Tours Around the Sierra Foothills
There are more than a hundred wineries situated within the Sierra Foothills AVA. A lot of them are small, family-owned, boutique wineries. If you are looking for something other than the high prices and crowds of the Napa Valley, you might like to think about wine tours in the Sierra Foothills region of Amador County. The mountain air, spectacular scenery, and rural roads make Amador Country a wonderful place to visit.
Another nice winery area is El Dorado. About an hour from South Lake Tahoe or Sacramento, or just over two hours from the San Francisco area or Reno, you can find a wide diversity of award-winning wines in El Dorado. With stunning views of oak-studded foothills and snow-capped mountains, this beautiful area of the Sierra Nevada is home to some great wineries which produce distinctive, vibrantly tasty, and affordable types of wines typical to California.
