The value of Sonoma County wines in retail across America is worth $8 billion, while wine tourism brings in $1.2 billion annually. While only a small percentage of Sonoma County is devoted to winegrapes, the wine industry looms large, with winegrapes accounting for 71% of total crop value, and the wine industry 40% of total GDP, amounting to some $3.2 billion in wages paid per year. Cool air also travels through the Petaluma Gap and San Pablo Bay to the south. The Russian River draws fog from the Pacific Ocean inland toward Healdsburg and the warmer Alexander Valley, impacting the 15,000 acres/6,070 hectares of vineyard within the Russian River Valley itself. As the grapes grow, morning coastal fog is common frost and rainfall are rare.įog is among Sonoma County’s most defining features. Average temperatures during the May through September growing season range from the 70s to low 90s Fahrenheit (21° to 32° Celsius) during the day, with cool nighttime temperatures in the low 40s and 50s Fahrenheit (4° to 10° Celsius), allowing for enviable acid retention in the wines. Sonoma County represents an ideal climate for winegrapes, in addition to other types of agriculture from dairy to apples. Sonoma County’s diversity in climate – largely dry Mediterranean - also applies to its topography, which encompasses mountains, valleys, benchlands and coastal outcrops, with its acreage a study in contrasts and variability, ranging from sea level to 2,600 feet/792 meters above. The Pacific Ocean borders 76 miles/122 km to the west and has a mighty maritime cooling impact on the region. Located about an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, and to the west of Napa Valley, Sonoma County spans more than one million acres/414,398 hectares in all, with 59,000 acres/23,876 hectares planted to winegrapes - a mere 6% of its total area. One of America’s best regions for fine wine, Sonoma County, is among the most diverse, dynamic and resilient wine regions in the United States, a place of historic importance, at the forefront of climate change and a region that has taken a visionary leadership role in sustainability issues.
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