Sustainable, Nature-Friendly Practices Key To Success

Wild For The Yuba is featuring 12 hand-selected wineries from Nevada and Placer Counties to create a remarkable tasting showcasing why the Northern Sierra Foothill Region is such a remarkable place to grow grapes and make wine. As unique and varied as the different styles and varieties of wines will be, the winemakers all agree on one thing. Great wines are born in the vineyard.

Mike Naggiar of Naggiar Vineyards explains it simply, “the quality of the fruit is the most important factor in determining the quality of our wines.” He looked for three years before selecting his 160-acre property in southern Nevada County as being the ideal location to grow grapes.

Alex Szabo of Szabo Vineyards strives to produce the highest quality grapes possible by working in harmony with nature to protect the environment and its inhabitants. The Natural Resources Conservation Service of Nevada County named Szabo Conservationist of the Year for his sustainable viticultural practices.

Bob Hilsman of Double Oak Vineyards is dedicated to sustainable, nature-friendly practices including solar power to produce mountain grown fruit he describes as “the ultimate slow food, taking two years from harvest to table.”

Different Varietals Create The Spice Of Life

Another thing that is immediately apparent is the incredible variety of grapes that thrive in our region, with the last count being well over 50. Rob Chrisman of Avanguardia Wines specializes in handcrafted, artisan blends including over 20 different Italian, Russian, and French varieties that truly make his wines unique.

Teena Wilkins is striving to make Vina Castellano a little piece of Spain right here in the Sierra Foothills. Specializing in Spanish varieties, Wilkens says, “the Mediterranean-like soils, along with the warm days and cool evenings are perfect for producing intense, full-bodied and complex wines.”

Phil Maddux of Lone Buffalo specializes in Rhone-style estate produced wines but can’t resist the charms of Italian and Bordeaux varieties like Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon because they do so well in the region.

Perhaps Mark Foster, the winemaker at Nevada City Winery, who over the years has won both “Best Of The Sierra Foothills” and “Best Of California” awards at the California State Fair for such different varietals as Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbara sums it up best. “The vineyards are tucked into so many nooks and crannies, at different elevations with different exposures that we get an infinite variety of expressions of flavors from a huge number of different varietals. And we’re just scratching the surface. Wait till you see what we do next.”

Join us on April 2 at the Grass Valley Veterans Memorial Hall for “Wild for the Yuba:  Celebrating Regional Grapes, Hops and Wine!”  Purchase your tickets today at http://yubariver.org/wild-for-the-yuba/ as this event will sell out!

Winemaker Mark Foster at Nevada City Winery punching down during crush

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Events, Newsletter, Uncategorized by miriamlimov