Four Top Wine Regions Aside from Napa and Sonoma

 

A freelance production accountant in California, Kelli Gillam is a long-time wine enthusiast. For several years, Kelli Gillam led Terranova Fine Wines, a wine shop in Monterey, California, which offered samples of some of the best wines from the area.

California’s Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are both well known for wine, but they are far from the only regions that produce great products. Below are a few top wine regions in the state aside from Sonoma and Napa:

Livermore Valley

The easternmost part of the Bay Area, Livermore is a small wine area compared to Napa and Sonoma, but this helps it maintain a laid-back vibe and enjoy smaller crowds. The region is home to more than 40 wineries and has been involved in the winery business for more than 130 years.

Mendocino

Tucked away just north of Sonoma County is Mendocino County. Complete with rocky coastlines, green hills, and small villages, it’s one of the state’s most scenic regions. It also features acres of vineyards, so visitors can enjoy the region’s blend of wine and nature destinations.

Monterey County

Carmel, Monterey, Big Sur, and Salinas are all included in Monterey County. Seeing all of these towns, along with their great ocean views, can take several days, but guests can easily explore the region’s scenery while enjoying wine at such places as Chateau Sinnet and Pessagno Winery.

Temecula

Temecula is the primary wine region in Southern California. Wine making in the area dates back to the 1800s, and the city is home to over 40 wineries. Merlot, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, and zinfandel grapes all grow beautifully in the area.

Tips to Maximize the Wine-Tasting Experience

California resident Kelli Gillam is a production accountant who has worked on several projects. Outside of her profession, Kelli Gillam’s interests include wine and tasting, which culminated in her owning her venture a few years ago-Terranova Fine Wines based in downtown Monterey.

Wine-tasting in California’s wine country can be an experience that introduces a person to diverse wines of varying textures and flavors. For better appreciation, do not pour too much wine no matter how good it tastes. When touring a few wineries in a day, the amount of alcohol that is ingested adds up, especially when the standard tasting is between one and three ounces. Plus, drinking too much can detract from the entire experience which involves tasting the wine for flavor, body, tannins, and astringency.

Another tip for great wine tasting is to avoid heavier wines until the end. Heavier wines tend to mask the flavor of lighter wines, so starting with white wines and ending with reds makes sense. After drinking several samples, compounds from the wine linger on the tongue and interfere with other tastings. To reset the palate, consider drinking water or eating neutral foods like bread or crackers.

Finally, technique is everything when tasting the wine. Slowly swirl the glass while smelling the bouquet as opposed to aggressively swirling the wine around the glass. When tasting the wine, roll the wine around the tongue while paying attention to earthy or fruity flavors.

Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove - Fishing in Treacherous Oregon Waters

Based in Southern California, Kelli Gillam is a freelance production accountant who has worked on a variety of film and television. Some of the productions that Kelli Gillam of Culver City, California has assisted with were Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch: Bering Sea Gold and the spinoff Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove.

Premiering in early 2016, the latter series highlighted Newport, Oregon’s family fishing industry and their race to harvest the sought-after Dungeness crab. Running parallel to the original Deadliest Catch series, then in its 12th year, the program brought focus to operations that do not work within a quota system, as in Alaska. Instead, boats set out to harvest the maximum number of crabs and fish possible during the season.

With the Pacific Northwest coast notoriously treacherous, this requires navigating complex, potentially deadly currents, sandbars, inclement weather, and large waves. The dangerousness of this environment was highlighted when one Newport fisherman featured in the first season suffered a serious injury operating a line on a boat the following year. In early 2019, a commercial Newport vessel capsized when crossing the Yaquina Bay Bar, which led to the loss of three fishermen’s lives.