29 Oct Looking for California Wine Country’s Best-Kept Secret: Check Out Livermore Valley!

What wine region is only 27 miles from San Jose, 31 miles from Oakland, 40 miles from San Francisco, 100 miles from Monterey, and 125 miles from Yosemite? It is the Livermore Valley. The Livermore Valley is California’s oldest wine region, first established in the 1760s when the Spanish missionaries began wine grape cultivation. Commercial grape planting started in the 1840s with pioneers like Robert Livermore. More recognition arrived in 1889 when Livermore won America’s first international gold medal for wine at the Paris Exposition.

Livermore Valley was also the first to varietally label Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Petit Sirah. However, the most significant contributions from the Livermore Valley were from two families, Wente and Concannon, who founded the first wineries in Livermore in 1883. The Concannon family contributed the widely used Cabernet Sauvignon clone. The Wente family is responsible for the propagation of a Livermore Valley Chardonnay clone to which approximately 80% of California’s Chardonnay vines trace their genetic lineage.

The Livermore Valley, located within the Diablo Range, has a unique east-west orientation. Many who have not been to Livermore might think it is a hot region. But Livermore is home to a Mediterranean climate. Its east-west orientation allows cool maritime air and fog from San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean to have a cooling effect on the warm climate that comes from the Central Valley to the east. The soil is gravel-based which allows for good drainage. The combination of coastal fog and marine breezes with the soils provides ideal conditions to produce ripe, balanced fruit.

The Livermore Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) was formed in 1982 and today there are more than 50 wineries in the region, including Wente and Concannon. The three primary grapes of the region are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc but Livermore Valley offers much more. In addition, the wine community in Livermore Valley is welcoming, and at most wineries, you will often find the owner pouring their wines with tasting fees that are still affordable.

So where should you go wine tasting? Check out 10 wineries to visit, as well as where to stay! Read the entire story in California Winery Advisor.