2023’s Best California Wine Counties

Why is California such a wine hot spot? What is it about the climate?

California has a fantastic Mediterranean climate for growing vines. Unlike France, where you have only several outstanding vintages per decade (Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Champagne), California has a great vintage nearly every year. It is due to the Mediterranean climate like you have in Southern France, Italy, Greece, etc.

How are California wineries adapting to changing tastes?

I think you have two kinds of winery groups.

The first group are the ones that are rather small and selling direct-to-consumer through their tasting rooms.

In this case, the wineries have a style implemented by the winemaker, and the only way they can adapt to the consumers is to propose different wine categories: rosé, sparkling, sweet, fortified, red, or white. They can also propose different grape varieties from the local area where they are based, or, alternatively, they can also source grapes from other areas.

The second group of wineries represents the large corporations who try to target all the generations going from baby boomers to the coming Z Generation.

They can propose brands with different tastes (buttery chardonnay or stainless-steel tank chardonnay). They can also propose different packaging: wines in bottle, in pet, in cans, in tetra pack, in bag-in box, etc., or even create new categories like hard seltzer, wine with low alcohol, gluten-free/vegan-friendly wines, etc.

Those producers are selling their wines through large chains of grocery stores, liquor stores, or restaurants and have a strong sales force and marketing experts to maintain and develop new markets.

Are California wines overrated? Why or why not?

No, the wines in California are not overrated. Since the Judgement of Paris in 1976, California definitely deserves a spot on the wine world map.

You can find wines from California in all the price ranges. Let’s take an example with cabernet sauvignon. You can find a broad range price for cabernet sauvignon in a liquor store chain like Total Wine and More from $1.97 to $1,600.

Of course, depending on your taste, social status, wine exposure, drinking occasion, etc., you will buy more of a good value for money or a very luxurious wine. You can already find a great-value wine for around $13 like J. Lohr Cabernet Seven Oaks in Paso Robles, but if you want a Napa Valley wine from Carol’s Vineyard for the same brand, you will have to pay around $55.

What is your favorite California winery memory? What made it so memorable?

All of the wineries I visited are unique and give a memorable experience. When you visit their tasting rooms, they are all trying to host their clients and make them feel they are very special. I’ve been visiting more than 300 wineries in California, and all of them have their own identity.

Some examples:

• Edna Valley Vineyard in Edna Valley/San Luis Obispo with a spectacular view while tasting in the bar
• Justin Vineyards and Winery with their great restaurant and special releases only sold on site
• J. Lohr in Paso Robles where the guests can bring their dogs and have them pictured in a frame
• Duckhorn Vineyards in a quiet, friendly patio in the heart of St. Helena
• Trinchero Family Estates in St. Helena with their limited-production, estate-grown wines that honor the legacy of founder Mario Trinchero
• Many others in different regions like Andrew Murray Vineyards in Santa Ynez, Michael David Winery in Lodi, Ancient Peaks in Santa Margarita, Ridge Vineyards in Santa Cruz, Center of Effort in Edna Valley, or the private Abreu Vineyards in St. Helena, etc.

There are so many of them, and I have probably forgotten some experiences. Being from Europe, what impressed me is that each winery is using its creativity to reflect its brand values and the history of the wine region.

Why is California such a wine hot spot? What is it about the climate?

California makes nearly 90% of all U.S. wine and is the world’s fourth leading wine producer. It has over 635,000 acres of wine grapes and 4,200 bonded wineries.

California has a Mediterranean climate, which is ideal for grape growing. The long growing seasons can make enough sunshine to ripen the grapes. But winters in California are mild with little threat of frost damage though springtime.

California’s wines usually tend to be fruit-forward and flavorful. They are very different from wines produced in the Old World like France. Since the 1970s, the vineyard management and winemaking innovations, such as using new irrigation systems and new strains of yeast, also vastly improved the California wine quality.

California is one of the most geologically diverse regions. It varies greatly in the range of climates and soil.

The California wine region can be divided into the North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, and Central Valley. Each region has its unique climate. For example, Napa Valley has a temperate climate with a long growing season. It has warm days to accumulate sugar, color, and aroma in grapes and the cool evening to preserve the acidity. The Central Valley is the largest wine region and produces three-quarters of the state’s grapes. It has a very different climate with hot summers and less rainfall. The vineyards are heavily dependent on irrigation techniques.

How are California wineries adapting to changing tastes?

Many wineries in California have survived by adapting to changing tastes. Understand that the market is very critical for them to increase sales, seek out and expand new markets.

Based on the “State of the US Wine industry 2021” report, red blends wine shows growth of 3.9%. The sales growth for specialty wines, in particular agave-based wines, is 11%.

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the trend toward health and wellness. Agave wine is much lower in alcohol content and calories. Prosecco, sangria, and sauvignon blanc are other varieties getting popular among consumers.

Wineries are adjusting their strategies based on market trends to meet consumer needs.

Are California wines overrated? Why or why not?

There are so many wines in the market nowadays. Not all wines in the world are created equal. Some wines claim too much fame and get more credit than they should. It is also very easy for us to miss some hidden-gem wines. It might happen in California and also happen to other wine regions.

As a consumer, you should not just rely on price or wine score to determine a wine’s quality. The consumer study found that the correlation between price and overall rating is small, especially for individuals without wine training experience. So, high-price wine does not always mean high-quality wine. The price not only reflects the production cost, but also the rarity and prestige of wine.

What is your favorite California winery memory? What made it so memorable?

My favorite California winery memory is when I had a Napa Valley winery tour in summer of 2018. I visited several wineries, such as Chateau Montelena, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and Robert Mondavi Winery.

I like Napa Valley not only because the region has beautiful vineyards, elegant wineries, high-quality wine, but also the history and spirit behind it. The efforts of pioneers during the last 50 years really put California wine on the world wine map and have been inspiring generations of people to work hard and continue to make legends.