| Sonoma and Napa Counties are known for its fine | | | | dilutes the intensity of the fruit. This is called "dry |
| wines. | | | | farming." This must be balanced, of course, with the |
| The golden sun and the abundant soil yield luscious, | | | | plant's need for moisture—hence the need to |
| flavorful grapes. These are then carefully fermented | | | | choose an area where the roots can mine the water |
| and blended with closely guarded secrets that have | | | | efficiently. |
| been passed on from generation to generation, and | | | | The flavor can also change according to when the |
| perfected—like wine itself—through time. | | | | grapes are picked, and the wine experts carefully |
| Visitors to Sonoma and nearby Napa County can | | | | study the optimum time of harvest. For example, the |
| arrange wine tours where they can visit different | | | | Zinfandel grape is an early ripener, and must be |
| vineyards and learn at least some of the techniques | | | | fermented two weeks before the other grapes that |
| and technology that goes into each bottle. Each label | | | | go into what wine aficionados call "Mixed Blacks." |
| has its own secret, and its own philosophy. | | | | The grapes must be hand-picked and then put |
| For example, wines can use different kinds of | | | | through a special pressing process that preserves the |
| grapes, and vineyards can hold as many as 20 | | | | skins and phenolic bitterness. Then, experts must |
| different kinds, each baptized with very poetic | | | | gauge the length of the fermentation process based |
| names: Petite Syrah, Grenache, Bouschet. | | | | on the grape's ripeness and inherent amount of sugar. |
| Winemakers study the flavor, acidity, color, fruit | | | | These are then put into barrels. Many wineries boast |
| intensity, and tannin structure of each | | | | of using only the finest containers, such as 100% |
| grape—which all contribute to a blend's | | | | French oak, which carry the wines for several |
| appearance, complexity and taste. The winemaker's | | | | months before they are bottled by hand. |
| skill is seen in the delicate orchestra of flavors, as | | | | The bottling itself must be done with great precision |
| unique to the winery and to the harvest year as a | | | | and gentleness, and the challenge is to minimize the |
| fingerprint. | | | | amount of sulfites and other foreign matter. Some of |
| Some wineries will maintain "genetic libraries" of | | | | the wineries use century old techniques, with delicate |
| grapes, which contain different cross-breeding of | | | | tools that tap gravity. |
| varieties that allow the experts to experiment with | | | | These are just some of the secrets of Sonoma and |
| the flavors. This also allows them to employ a | | | | Napa wines. However, to truly understand the |
| technique called micro-vinification. Essentially, the | | | | science and art of winemaking, it's best to arrange a |
| property is divided into vineyard blocks, each planted | | | | tour of the different vineyards. Many of the tours |
| with a different kind of grape to yield a greater | | | | include a "palate class" where experts will point out |
| diversity of flavors, aromas, colors and textures. | | | | what flavors to watch out for in each glass, and how |
| Soil, fertilization, irrigation and time of planting and | | | | to pair a wine with different kinds of food. |
| harvest can also yield different flavors from a single | | | | Are you ready to travel to the famous Wine |
| variety of grape. For example, some vineyards | | | | Country of Sonoma and Napa, California? |
| believe that it's better to minimize irrigation, since it | | | | |