FORT ROSS-SEAVIEW WINE REGION AND APPELLATION
One of Sonoma County's most distinctive American viticultural areas (AVAs) is located in the coastal hills above Fort Ross State Historic Park, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Carved out of the larger Sonoma Coast AVA in 2011, the 27,500-acre Fort Ross-Seaview AVA was given special consideration for its soaring elevation and remote, rugged location.Precious few of its wineries are open to the public,but its 500 vineyard acres produce some of Sonoma County's most sought-after Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Sonoma County's first winegrapes were planted in 1817 at the fur-trading Russian-American Company's outpost at Fort Ross.The area's modern viticultural history didn't begin until 1973, though, when sheep rancher Mick Bohan, struggling with low wool prices, planted Riesling as a cash crop; the possibilities for this variety in the Fort-Ross AVA remain tantalizing.
For the time being, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are undeniably the most popular grapes in Fort-Ross Seaview, but a surprise runner-up is the South African red variety Pinotage, planted by expatriates at Fort Ross Vineyard, Winery & Tasting Room.
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