One of America’s most spectacularly diverse wine regions, Mendocino County is truly the nation’s “greenest” wine region.
It’s as famous for its untamed beauty, wide open spaces and earth-friendly farming and ranching as it is for the wines produced in its diverse soils and microclimates.
Aficionados pursue limited-production Mendocino heritage vine Zinfandels and small-lot Cabernets and Merlots from the warmer interior Coast Range valleys and mountain vineyards.
The cool coastal valleys are justifiably renowned for Alsatian varietals – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines.
Syrah and Pinot Gris are among the many additional varietals that are delicious discoveries for those visiting Mendocino’s family-owned wineries and vineyards.
And just north of Fort Bragg, poised above the Pacific, the nation’s westernmost winery is at home at the edge of the continent.
Mendocino’s grape growers and winemakers live and work beside farmers and ranchers dedicated to producing fruit, vegetables, meats and cheeses in harmony with the land.
Some 20 percent of Mendocino’s vineyards – nearly five times the number from any other wine region – are certified organic and biodynamic. Many of the rest are sustainably farmed, and working toward higher earth-friendly designations.
The nation’s first carbon-neutral winery calls Mendocino County home, and at least one of the region’s wineries is run 100 percent on solar power.
No other appellation in the world has such a diverse blend of eco-systems – from seaside on the Pacific Coast to Russian River and Eel River watersheds to majestic redwood forests.
And no other appellation is populated by farmers and winemakers who are as focused on maintaining those eco-systems for future generations to enjoy.
*** For a brochure on “America’s Greenest Wine Region,” including a comprehensive winery guide, write to: Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission, 525 S. Main St., Suite C, Ukiah, CA 95482.
