Sierra foothills Vineyards in California

Vineyards in Sierra foothills

Sierra Foothills

Viticulture is introduced in the region in the nineteenth century during the gold rush in California

Sierra Foothills wine industry is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in the State of California. Today more than a hundred vineyards are located in the Sierra Foothills, with many small wineries often familial.

Sierra Foothills extends into the Yuba County north of Mariposa County, along the western side of the Sierra Nevada, Amador, El Dorado and Calaveras counties in the center, the Shenandoah Valley, with Fair Play and Fiddletown .

The total area of ​​vineyards in the Sierra Foothills is 10 522 km2, one of the largest wine-growing regions of the state of California.

The first vines were planted in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada during the gold rush in the late 1840s and early 1850s in California.

The wineries of the Sierra Foothills, are known to these wines. produces

Is mountainous land with austere soils, is ideal for the Zinfandel production; representing 2,300 hectares (9 km2) but the other varieties are not forgotten as :Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Barbera, Nebbiolo Petite Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Tuscan, Grenache, Tempranillo, Malbec, Torrontes, Pinot Black, Primitivo, Tinto, Aglianico, Cinsault, and Meritage (Bordeaux blend of grapes) for red wines.

And: Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Roussanne, Marsanne, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, Viognier. And wines of traditional method.

The vines are usually planted at altitudes between 1,500 ft (457 m) and 3,000 feet (914 m) above the sea level .

Sierra Nevada

Is a string of high snow in eastern California Mountains. Including its main peak is Mount Whitney (4,421 meters).

It stretches for about 700 km, from Fredonyer pass, in north to Tehachapi Pass in the south, bordered, with to the west by the Central Valley of California and on the east by the Great Basin.

The altitude increases steadily to a ridge, then down the other side, on the eastern slopes overlooking the fault (active) Owens Valley. Similarly, the altitude increases as one moves south: the culmination of the chain, Mount Whitney, is in south-east.

Sierra Nevada has a wide variety of landscapes. The variety of wildlife, vegetation and terrain are dependent on altitude and slope.

The chain offers several parks including Yosemite, famous for its forests, waterfalls and granite cliffs .

Sierra Nevada has a mountain climate. Beyond 2500 meters, in summer, dry heat is moderated by thundershowers. The combination of dry vegetation and low humidity causes storms and forest fires.

It blocks rain from the west on its crest. Temperatures decrease with altitude regions of the Great Basin to the east, where deserts are hot and dry with wind blows.

The rivers majority from the chain will go to west and flow into rivers San Joaquin or Sacramento. Some rivers flow east and end up in the depressions of the Great Basin: the case of the Walker River (Nevada) or the Carson River.