Wine Country - Definition and Overview

Wine Country is a region of Northern California in the United States, known as a wine-growing region since 1838. There are some 200 wineries in the area north of San Francisco, mostly located in the area's valleys, including Napa Valley and the Russian River Valley.

Some of the region's major cities include Santa Rosa (the setting of the Hitchcock thriller Shadow of a Doubt), Napa, Calistoga (famous for its hot springs), Geyserville (famous for its... geysers), Bodega Bay (the setting for The Birds, another Hitchcock thriller), Healdsburg, historic Fort Ross and Ukiah.

Wine Country proper is generally thought to lie within Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties, but wine grapes grow well throughout much of California.

The federal government maintains the list of American Viticultural Areas for tax purposes.

See also

• List of wine producing regions

Geography of California

Antelope Valley | Central Valley | Central Coast | Channel Islands | Coast Ranges | Death Valley | Gold Country | Greater Los Angeles | Imperial Valley | Inland Empire | Mojave | Napa Valley | Northern California | Owens Valley | Pomona Valley | Redwood Empire | San Fernando Valley | San Francisco Bay Area | The Peninsula | San Gabriel Valley | Santa Clara Valley | Santa Clarita Valley | Shasta Cascade | Sierra Nevada | Silicon Valley | Southern California | Wine Country