Much has been written about the adventures of Count Agoston Haraszthy, who introduced thousands of European varietal cuttings to Sonoma Valley in the 19th century and founded the Buena Vista Winery in 1857. He has been credited with the introduction of all the classic French varietals, even Zinfandel, which according to some writers, he might have named. We don't know whether Count Haraszthy planted Zinfandel in Sonoma Valley; but whether he did or not, we know that this varietal was already happily established in Sierra vineyards.
Few realize that the California wine industry really originated in the Gold Rush country of the Sierra Foothills with cuttings introduced by Italian and other southern European immigrants as early as 1855. America's oldest known producing vineyard is located near Plymouth in Amador County. The Sierra Foothills viticultural region comprises the counties of Mariposa, Calaveras, Tuolomne, Amador, and El Dorado. It extends roughly from the town of Mariposa in the south to Placerville in the north. The vineyards lie between 2,000 and 3,500 feet of elevation.
The Sierra wine region developed on a parallel track to the better known North Coast regions of Napa and Sonoma Counties. In 1854, records show a total of 11 acres under vine in El Dorado County. But by the 1890s, vineyard area had grown to over 10,000 acres - ten times the present amount. These vineyards were planted largely to Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Mission, and Italian varietals. These varietals still find some of their finest expressions here in the Sierra Foothills.
Viticulture in the Sierra Foothills was devastated, first by population decline in the early 20th century, then by Prohibition; the region did'nt even begin to recover until the 1970s. By 1966 the acreage under vine in El Dorado County had reverted back to it's 1854 level - 11 acres! An event was on the horizon, however, that would change forever the course of viticulture in the Sierra region. Studies by the University of California at Davis concluded that portions of the Sierra Foothills possessed a similar climatic profile to that of Oakville and St. Helena in the Napa Valley. Click here to see a chart comparing Sierra Foothills regions with Napa Valley, Dry Creek, Paso Robles, and other well known viticultural areas.
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