Welcome to California!

Located just 40 miles north of San Francisco, the Sonoma and Napa wine region is home to over 730 wineries. Sonoma County sits between the California coast and the Mayacamas mountains to the east. Divided into several different areas, including Alexander Valley, Carneros, Dry Creek, and the Russian River Valley all with different temperatures and climates, Sonoma County produces a wide range of wines and is one of California’s largest wine growing regions. Continuing east over the Mayacamas mountains drops you into the heart of Napa county. Arguably the more famous of the two wine growing regions, Napa County boasts its own unique climate being in the valley of two mountain ranges. Traditionally these two regions do not get along with each other and each one will say they are better than the other for a variety of reasons. Having grown up in this wine country I have learned that each has its own specialties and you get a different experience everywhere you go.

Since this is my first post as a writer for The Oregon Wine Blog, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jesse Andrews and I am originally from Sonoma County. However I have spent time in southern California and was able to experience the Temecula wine growing region as well as spending 4 years in the Pacific Northwest. It was here I was introduced to the other writers for TOWB as well as both Oregon and Washington wines. I moved to Washington with a bias towards California wines but over time found a love and appreciation for the wines of the Pacific Northwest. Now that I have returned I am excited to explore this region even further.

I am aware of the reputation that California has and I can’t say it isn’t deserved. California is home to many wineries that produce the wines regularly found in any grocery store. Names such as Clos du Bois, Kendall-Jackson, and Sebastiani are found in California but so are the little known, family owned wineries tucked away in the rolling hills of California. My hope with this blog is to share some of those wineries with you so that if you take a trip to this area you can find similar experiences that you do at many of the places you love in Oregon and Washington. I am excited to be a part of The Oregon Wine Blog team and to share my experiences with wine in California.

Cheers!