California

Famous for its Napa Valley wines, California is also home to the wine producing regions of Mendocino, near San Francisco, and Temecula, near Los Angeles and San Diego, although most wine production is at the Northern and Central Coast areas. A variety of localized climate conditions, called microclimates, allow a range of cool, hazy air and temperate conditions. Aside from growing many varieties of grapes, California is the producer of its own grape variety known as the Zinfandel. Although best known for their light, fruity wines, the Zinfandel can also produce deep tannic red wines with bold blueberry and spicy flavors. Good quality wines from California of the Pinot Noir variety are the Au Bon Climat, Swan and Sanford. The Zinfandel variety produces good Marietta, Swan, Ridge and Raveswood, while the best Cabernet Sauvignons include Mondavi, Ridge, Laurel Glen, and Caymus to name a few. Chardonnays worth investing some money into involve the Au Bon Climat, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chalone, Landmark, and Peter Michael. Recently, old world greats have established wineries in California. Champagne houses such as Moet, Krug, and Mumm were the first with big names of Bordeaux and Burgundy following suit.