Pinot noir thrives in France's Burgundy region, particularly on the Côte-d'Or which has produced some of the world's most celebrated wines for centuries. The United States has increasingly become a major Pinot noir producer, with some of the best regarded coming from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, California's Sonoma County with its Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations, as well as the Central Coast's Santa Lucia Highlands appellation and the Sta. Rita Hills American Viticultural Area in Santa Barbara County. In New Zealand, it is grown in Martinborough, Waipara, and Central Otago. More from Wikipedia...

Charateristics:

• Light to medium body
• Nose of cherry, raspberry, or currant.
• Can have a 'farmyard' aroma - the good kind!!
• New World styles are also made in fruitier styles.
• Some are creating a darker more fruit-forward style approaching Syrah - WHY!, WHY!, WHY!
• Also used for Sparkling, rosé wines, and even white wines.

Syrah is a dark-skinned variety of grape used in wine. Syrah is grown in many countries and is primarily used to produce powerful red wines, which enjoy great popularity in the marketplace, relatively often under the synonym Shiraz. Syrah is used both for varietal wines and in blended wines, where it can be both the major and minor component. It is called Syrah in its country of origin, France, as well as in the rest of Europe, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay , and most of the United States. The name Shiraz became popular for this grape variety in Australia, where it has long been established as the most grown dark-skinned variety. In Australia it was also commonly called Hermitage up to the late 1980s, but since that name is also a French Protected designation of origin, this naming practice caused a problem in some export markets and was dropped. The name Shiraz for this grape variety is also commonly used in South Africa and Canada. DNA profiling in 1999 found Syrah to be the offspring of two obscure grape varieties from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche. More from Wikipedia...

Grenache (pronounced gren-ash) (in Spanish, Garnacha, in Catalan, Garnatxa) is probably the most widely planted variety of red wine grape in the world. It ripens late, so needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain and in the south of France. It is generally spicy, berry-flavoured and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results. It tends to lack acid, tannin and colour, and is usually blended with other varieties such as Syrah, Carignan and Cinsaut.

Grenache is the dominant variety in most Southern Rhône wines, especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape where it is typically over 80% of the blend. In Australia it is typically blended in "GSM" blends with Syrah and Mourvèdre. More from Wikipedia...

Mourvèdre, is a variety of red wine grape grown around the world. In Portugal and the New World it is known as Mataró, whilst in some parts of France it is known as Estrangle-Chien ("dog strangler"). In Spain, it is known as Monastrell.

It produces tannic wines that can be high in alcohol, and is most successful in Rhone-style blends. It has a particular affinity for Grenache, softening it and giving it structure. Its taste varies greatly according to area, but often has a wild, gamey or earthy flavour, with soft red fruit flavours. More from Wikipedia...

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage" and an easy segue into the international wine market.

The Chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as terroir and oak. It is vinified in many different styles, from the elegant, "flinty" wines of Chablis to rich, buttery Meursaults and New World wines with tropical fruit flavors.

Chardonnay is an important component of many sparkling wines around the world, including Champagne. A peak in popularity in the late 1980s gave way to a backlash among those wine drinkers who saw the grape as a leading negative component of the globalization of wine. Nonetheless, it remains one of the most widely-planted grape varieties, with over 400,000 acres (175,000 hectares) worldwide, second only to Airén among white wine grapes and planted in more wine regions than any other grape – including Cabernet Sauvignon. More from Wikipedia...

Viognier (vee-ohn-yay) is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.

The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Most experts agree that Viognier is an ancient grape that may have originated in Dalmatia and was brought to Rhône by the Romans.[3] One legend states that the Roman emperor Probus brought the vine to the region in 281 AD. Another legend has the grape packaged with Syrah on a cargo ship navigating the Rhone River en route to Beaujolais when it was captured near the site of present day Condrieu by a local group of outlaws known as culs de piaux.

The origin of the name Viognier is also obscure. The most common namesake is the French city of Vienne, which was a major Roman outpost. Another legend has it drawing its name from the Roman pronunciation of the via Gehennae, meaning the "road to Hell". Probably this is an allusion to the difficulty of growing the grape. More from Wikipedia...

Pair with:

• Spcity cuisine, Thai, Vietanmese.
• Suchi, Sashimi.
• Check out Wine + Food widget for more ideas.

The Central Coast AVA is a large American Viticultural Area that spans from Santa Barbara County in the south to the San Francisco Bay Area in the north. The boundaries of the Central Coast include portions of six counties. With around 100,000 acres (400 km2) planted to wine grapes, Chardonnay accounts for more than half of the total. Within this larger AVA are several smaller appellations that share the same cooling influence from the Pacific Ocean.

Because U.S. county names automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine[3], the following appellations do not require registration with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau:

• Contra Costa County
• Monterey County
• San Luis Obispo County
• Santa Barbara County
• Santa Clara County
• Santa Cruz County

This appellation is the oldest in this portion of California. Grape growing in this region dates back to the Mexican Colonial period of the 1830s. In the late 1960 commercial vineyards were planted to supply wineries around the state. Since vineyards in the valley have come to encompass 7,500 acres (3,000 ha).

Geography
The Santa Maria Valley is a natural funnel-shaped valley opening west to the Pacific Ocean. The elevation of the area ranges from approximately 200 feet (60 m) at the intersection of Highway 101 and Santa Maria River to approximately 3,200 feet (980 m) at Tepusquet Peak. The grapes that are grown within the area are on the valley floor at an approximate elevation of 300 feet (90 m) and on the slopes and rolling hillsides up to an elevation of 800 feet (240 m). The soils within the area range in texture from a sandy loam to clay loam and are free from adverse salts.

Climate
Since the valley opens to the ocean, there is no opposition to the sea fog that moves in at midday and engulfs lower lying vineyards. This creates a cool growing environment that is a Region I on the Winkler Scale The valley features a long growing season and very little rainfall, meaning grapes have an extensive time to build flavor on the vine.

The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA, and contains the greatest concentration of wineries in Santa Barabara County. The valley is formed by the Purisima Hills and San Raphael Mountains to the north and the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south. Chardonnay is the most planted grape varietal in the cooler, western portion of the valley, and Rhône varietals are more successful in the east.

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California. From its creation in 2001 through 2006, the wine appellation was officially named Santa Rita Hills AVA. The formal name change was the result of a protest by and subsequent negotiations with Vina Santa Rita, a very large Chilean wine producer that was concerned about the AVA name diluting its international brand value. The name change took effect on January 5, 2006, with a year long period for producers in the AVA to change their wine labels.

Sta. Rita Hills is part of the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA, located between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton with the Purisima Hills on the north and the Santa Rosa Hills on the South. The wine region is exposed to fog and coastal breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The hills run east to west, which allows cool ocean breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean to enter the valley created by the hills and create a cool micro-climate. When combined with the rocky nature of the area, the Santa Rita Hills area is well-suited for the growing of Pinot Noir grapes, which tend to do well in cool climates with rocky soil. The region is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah varietal wines.

The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Monterey County, California. It is part of the larger Monterey AVA, and located in the Santa Lucia Mountains above the Salinas Valley. Over 2,300 acres (931 ha) of vineyards are planted in the AVA, some as high as 1,200 feet (366 m) above sea level, and over half of them planted to the Chardonnay grape. The region enjoys cool morning fog and breezes from Monterey Bay followed by warm afternoons thanks to direct southern exposures to the sun.

The Arroyo Grande Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. The 16 miles (26 km) long appellation benefits from it east-northeast orientation which allows the breeze from the Pacific Ocean to moderate the climate of the area. The valley is divided by a fog line produced by the cool coastal fogs where Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Rhône varietals are grown on the higher elevations near Lopez Lake and the cooler mid-valley vineyards being home to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Edna Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in San Luis Obispo County, California south of the city of San Luis Obispo and north of the town of Arroyo Grande. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. The valley is roughly bounded by Lake Lopez to the south and Islay Hill to the north. It runs east to west bounded to the west by the Santa Lucia Mountains. The valley is shadowed by volcanic mountains and characterized by black humus and clay-rich soils. Edna Vally has one of California’s longest growing seasons. The valley is kept cool by breezes from the Pacific Ocean and morning fog. The AVA is most well known for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and to a lesser extent Syrah. Grapes were originally planted here by Spanish missionaries in the early 19th century. The region saw a revival when new vineyards were planted in the early 1970s by Paragon and Chamisal Vineyards. Edna Valley wines are often grouped with those of the contiguous Arroyo Grande Valley AVA.

The Paso Robles AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the San Luis Obispo County, California. It has approximately 18,500 acres (7,487 ha) planted with wine grapes, and may be best known as the home of the Rhône Rangers, a group of winemakers who are responsible for the region's growing profile with Syrah.

Grapes were first introduced into the Paso Robles area in 1797 by missionaries at Mission San Miguel Arcangel, where over one thousand vines were planted. Commercial wine growing, however, wasn't started until the 1880s with the establishment of Ascension Winery, today known as York Mountain Winery, the longest continuously operating winery in the County. More from Wikipedia...

The Carmel Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Monterey County, California, east of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The AVA is home to a number of wineries and vineyards, as well as the town of Carmel Valley Village. Wineries with tasting rooms in Carmel Valley include Bernardus, Boëté, Boekenoogen, Chateau Julien, Chateau Sinnet, Galante, Georis, Heller Estate, Joullian Village, Parsonage, San Saba and Talbott. A public bus, called the Grapevine Express Route 24 and run by Monterey-Salinas Transit, stops at most of these tasting rooms.

County Route G16 runs through the valley, and the Carmel River flows down the valley. The vineyards in the region are mostly located at 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level or higher, where coastal fog and wind play are less common.

The Monterey AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in eastern Monterey County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. The Monterey AVA includes both the Carmel Valley and the Salinas Valley, and seven smaller American Viticultural Areas. It is a cool growing region, but one with a very long growing season. Daytime temperatures rarely exceed 75 °F (24 °C) in most parts of the region. The soil is sandy and most regions require extensive irrigation from the Salinas River.