Winemaking and Regions

California's wine country has thousands of vineyards in many appellations, across hundreds of miles of landscape. Although California winemaking dates back to the first Spanish missionaries in the 18th century, only in the last few decades has California earned its place among the great winemaking regions of the world. One reason for this recognition is the amazing success of wines from Sonoma County, the historic home of Rancho Zabaco.

Awards, scores, and popular appeal are hallmarks of Sonoma County winemaking, and winemakers from all over the world come to here to gain experience useful to them at home. Geologic and climatic diversity are the cornerstones of Sonoma County's success as a wine region. This one place where the perfect growing location can be found for each variety of grape: the foggy, chilly Russian River Valley for cool-climate grapes like Sauvignon Blanc, and the Dry Creek Valley with its warm days and cool nights that make it the center of the "Zin Zone." With more than a dozen distinctive AVA's, Sonoma County is renowned as a source of fine wine the world over.