This hub will address the beautiful wine producing area of Carneros in California.

My husband and I have driven through this bucolic area and have tasted some of the delicious wines produced from the grapes grown in Carneros on several occasions. 

The following was written by my husband for a wine class that he taught titled Wines of the World, an introduction to Napa and Sonoma.

This was a short portion explaining the history and location of Carneros with regard to the better known Napa and Sonoma wine growing regions of California.

"Carneros is an appellation whose boundaries are in Napa and Sonoma. Located at the southern end of both counties and bordered on the south by San Pablo Bay, this area of gently rolling hills has unique climatic conditions.

Historically the region was part of three Mexican land grants dating to the 1830's and takes its name from "Ranch El Rincon de los Carneros". Carneros means sheep in Spanish and sheep herding, cattle and horse ranching were primary occupations of early settlers. Grapes were first planted in the 1850's making it the second oldest vineyard area in northern California. Sonoma was the first.

Many other regions are cooled by coastal fog but Carneros also has daily cooling winds blowing in from San Pablo Bay. The lower temperatures provide a longer growing season and produce grapes with higher acidity, lower alcohol content and highly developed flavors.

Chardonnay displaying crisp acidity with citrus and green apple flavors and medium-bodied Pinot Noir showing red cherry and raspberry tastes are the primary varietals in Carneros. Both grapes are also well suited for the production of sparkling wine. Merlot and Syrah have adapted well to the soils and climate.

For a detailed description of the Carneros Appellation including flavor profiles, bay influence and regional character, see www.buenavistacarneros.com and click on Carneros Appellation."

I thought that I would share some of my husband's wine expertise with you and show you some of the photos that I took while traveling through this very scenic area of rolling hills and grazing animals and planted vineyards. Carneros is a most peaceful and charming rural setting!

My husband and I had purchased two magnums of Bouchaine wine at a charity function and were entitled (when visiting the winery) to pick up a signed art print and enjoy a special tasting at the winery.

So when planning a vacation in late April of 1991, we put Bouchaine on our list of places to visit.

The wine tasting invitation was for 6 people so we asked a buddy of ours who lived in Sonoma at the time and who represents another winery to join us.

We met the winemaker John Montero who was very friendly and happened to be at the winery that day. Joy Kagele was the vice-president of marketing and sales and along with her marketing assistant, Marjorie Walker, we were to become better educated about Bouchaine Winery and got to taste more of what they produced. It made for a very pleasant interlude.

We sampled the Bouchaine 1989 Chardonnay along with the 1988 and 1982 Pinot Noirs. We expected that they would be good and we were not disappointed with the flavor profiles.

Some of the impressions of Carneros dating back to our visit there in 1991 that I now leave with you...

Gorgeous setting.

Friendly people.

There is still much open land not yet tilled for grapes or other agricultural purposes. Of course that is changing with each passing year as more and more of this land is turned into profitable vineyards.

If you are ever in the San Francisco area and have a little extra time, be sure and travel north to get a glimpse of the Carneros wine region. There is much there to enjoy! If you have a bit more time, stay a while and soak up the atmosphere. It is a great place to relax and unwind.