My California Wine Appellation Specialists CWAS course content for this week is the northern Central Coast AVA. The online course is taught through the San Francisco Wine School. This week’s content was broader though, including the Delta. Since Solano County’s proximity to the Delta, our instructor grouped it in this week’s class rather than our classes on the North Coast AVA.

We have not visited any of the wineries in the northern Central Coast AVA nor the Delta that includes Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. However in 2009 we visited several of the wineries in Suisun AVA in Solano County. We spent a wonderful evening at the guest room at the Vezer Family Vineyards in Mankas Corner. This is a family centered winery. At the time of our visit, we were invited to attend a dinner that Liz and Frank Vezer prepared for their workers. Liz said that it was a way to say “thank you for everything their extended family does.” Frank opened several wines for the workers and their families to enjoy. After the dinner several family members sprang into action, with “Uncle Frank, what can I do to help? It was delightful to see family, extended family and friends enjoying each other’s company. We also visited their facility at the Blue Victorian and the Vezer Ranch.

Vezer Family Vineyards from the winery at the Blue Victorian

Another memorable stop was Wooden Valley Winery in Suisun Valley. We spent time in the vineyards observing the workers harvest grapes. They put us to shame. Both Kathy and I had helped with a harvest at a winery in Maryland. It took us ten to fifteen minutes to fill a lug. The workers in the vineyard at Wooden Valley were able to fill a lug in just a few minutes. Even more impressive, was there ability to sort the grapes. They knew which bunches to harvest and which ones to leave behind.

Harvesting grapes at Wooden Valley

Wine tastings in the Suisun AVA are rather laid back more like the experience you will have in Sonoma County. We did have a tasting at Ledgewood Creek Winery and Vineyards also in Suisun Valley that was a bit more formal. We tasted four white wines and four red wines with Larry Langbehn who was the consultant winemaker at the time of our visit. The white and red wines were already poured and we were able to taste as a flight moving back to retaste and compare and contrast.

Wine tasting flight at Ledgewood Creek Winery & Vineyards

There are not many wineries in the Suisun AVA. We enjoyed spending a few days visiting them and driving through the wine region.

Cheers,
Terry