Lake County wine
Lake County wine is a appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Lake County, California and located north of Napa County. Although each region within Lake County has unique viticultural attributes, all are influenced by Clear Lake, the largest inland body of water in California. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). TTB was created in January 2003, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or ATF, was extensively reorganized under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
| Wine region | |
| Type | U.S. County Appellation |
|---|---|
| Years of wine industry | 154 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | California, North Coast AVA |
| Other regions in California, North Coast AVA | Napa County, Sonoma County |
| Sub-regions | Benmore Valley AVA, Clear Lake AVA, Guenoc Valley AVA, High Valley AVA, Red Hills Lake County AVA, Big Valley District-Lake County AVA, Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA, Upper Lake Valley-Lake County AVA, Long Valley-Lake County AVA |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 20–80 inches (508–2,032 mm) |
| Soil conditions | Volcanic origin, gravel, sand, tephra and obsidian |
| Total area | 219,000 acres (342 sq mi) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 8,400 acres (3,399 ha) |
| Grapes produced | Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Gamay Beaujolais, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Muscat Canelli, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon Musque, Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, Zinfandel |
Lake County enjoys a reputation for bright, concentrated red wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel, and fresh, aromatic whites made from Sauvignon Blanc. Cabernet Sauvignon has the most acreage, with Merlot a distant second.