Visiting the Russian River Valley

By Paul Franson

For most of Sonoma County's viticultural areas, wine is the major, and nearly the only attraction other than the beautiful environment. Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Carneros and even upper Sonoma Valley attract visitors primarily to visit wineries; they have few towns, lodgings and restaurants to attract lingerers.

Russian River Valley is another matter. It boasts plenty of activities unrelated to wine which attract visitors, and in fact, wine is concentrated in the Middle Reach away from the area most tourists consider the prime Russian River vacation destination.

The reason is simple: it's too cold to grow grapes for a number of miles from where the Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean at the small town of Jenner. Instead, the lower party of the river is occupied first by pastures, then by quaint tourist towns. The vineyards begin at Korbel Champagne Cellars east of Rio Nido, and continue up the river toward Healdsburg, and down into the large Santa Rosa plain south of Sebastapol and almost to Santa Rosa. This large plain is part of the Russian River Valley appellation and shares the same climate, though it naturally gets progressively warmer as you get farther from the ocean.

The heart of the Russian River tourism lies on the aptly named River Road, which is also highway 116 west of Guerneville, but the road veers away from the river east of Forestville. There two roads called West Side and East Side bracket the river through vineyards, but all the wineries are on the west. This is rural territory, with a narrow, winding road generally on a small bluff above the river, but occasionally dipping down. It regularly floods during wet winters.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to plot a route in the Russian River Valley that takes you past most of the wineries. They're arrayed on many different – and often small -- roads so a map is vital if you want to find them. Most of the wineries are relatively small and many require appointments to visit, though a few like Korbel have elaborate tasting rooms and even delis where you can buy lunch. There's no lack of places to stay, eat, see and shop in this area.

As far as accommodations, you can stay at a luxury hotel, modest inn, motel or even camp, and you'll find plenty to do beside tasting wine. Bicycling, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, bird watching, horseback riding and hiking are popular, as is swimming in the summer (for the hearty). There are many antique shops, gift stores, and every type of food from sandwiches to gourmet restaurants. During the summer, the river area attracts a wide variety of entertainment, including nationally known music festivals. Bars along the river also feature music, often homegrown and inexpensive.

The quaint towns of the Russian River Valley evoke an earlier time with old buildings as well as boutiques that offer art – and kitsch -- from local artists and craftspeople. The area is famously tolerant, and attracts many gay and lesbian tourists during the summer, but all are welcome and will feel comfortable vacationing in this region.

Each town in this region has its own character. Duncans Mills, which is closest to the ocean, is known for its gift stores and restaurants, while the summer encampment at famous Bohemian Grove is near Monte Rio . Guerneville, the largest town along the lower Russian River, features many of the entertainment and eating attractions as well as varied lodgings. Rio Nido is another peaceful town along the river, while Forestville, a few miles away, is a typical peaceful Sonoma county town surrounded by orchards, farms and vineyards.

Occidental is not on the river, but is famous for its Italian-American restaurants and their giant family meals. Sebastopol is the local commercial center, with extended shopping in a small city that still maintains some of its historic character. Graton is home to a large wine complex and a number of noted restaurants and delis.

The Russian River Valley is naturally named for the Russian fur traders that occupied the area from 1812 to 1841 even before the Spanish arrived. They built Fort Ross along the Sonoma coast, a “must visit” when you're in the area.

The Russians came to hunt sea otters for their fur and to provide food to Russian colonies in Alaska. They planted food crops, even vineyards at chilly Fort Ross, surely the first wine grapes in Sonoma County, but moved them to the slightly warmed Graton area and other sites in west-central Sonoma County when the vineyards didn't ripen. The Russians abandoned the area around 1841, leaving a few legacies: the city name Sebastopol and the name of the area's major river.

Other immigrants planted grapes later. By 1876, the Russian River Valley had about 7000 acres of vineyards and produced more than 500,000 gallons of wine per year. The Santa Rosa Wine Company was established in 1876, followed by Martini & Prati Winery in 1880, Korbel Champagne Cellars in 1882 and Foppiano Winery in 1896. The last three are still in business and the Foppiano family still owns and manages its winery.

As elsewhere, the phylloxera root louse and Prohibition devastated the industry, but it has long since recovered and more. It's now primarily a region of boutique wineries that produce premium and luxury wines. It is best known for its cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and produces some of the best -- and most expensive – of those varieties in America.

The recently expanded appellation covers 126,600 acres, and about 15,000 acres are planted to wine grapes. It includes the Green Valley American Viticultural Area, a very cool area, and the warmer Chalk Hill AVA in the east as well.

The secret to the Russian River Valley's wine quality is primarily its climate. Cool air and fog from the Pacific Ocean flows through the channel cut by the Russian River through the coastal hills and the Petaluma Wind Gap, often dropping the summer nighttime temperature 35 to 40 degrees from its daytime high. The fog then retreats the following morning and sunny warm days help mature the grapes.

This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season - often 15 to 20 percent longer than neighboring areas-- while retaining their natural acidity.

The best-known wine from the area, until recently, was a Chardonnay that balanced the crisp styles of Chablis and other white Burgundies and the rich fruity style from warmer growing areas of the New World. Over 6,000 acres of Chardonnay grow in the Russian River Valley, and it is the area's biggest wine variety. The Chardonnays grown near the coast are most elegant because of the challenging conditions, while those from farther inland tend to be richer and more “California-like.”

A more recent star of the Russian River region is Pinot Noir. Formerly know for the famed red wines of Burgundy in France, Pinot Noir has found a home in the cool climate of the Russian River Valley. These wines tend to feature fruity aromas suggestive of wild strawberries and raspberries or red and black cherries. They tend to be richer than Burgundies but the cool climate of the region maintains balanced crispness. More than 4500 acres of Pinot Noir grow in the Russian River Valley.

Though it's not grown in the cooler areas, Zinfandel is popular in the Santa Rosa plain of the Russian River Valley partly for historic reasons; some of the vines were planted in the late 1800's. Today, over 1100 acres of Zinfandel grow in the area and the long, cool growing season allows Zinfandel to develop strong aromas of ripe blackberries and boysenberries. They tend to be high in alcohol as well as flavor but are not as “jammy” as Zins from warmer areas and are the perfect accompaniment for barbecue and hearty Italian-American foods as well as sitting around talking with friends.

Of all the wine regions in diverse Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley offers the widest choice of climates and attractions. You can enjoy a fire on the beach or bicycle in shorts on a warm summer afternoon, but the one thread that ties the whole area together is the river. The river is the lifeblood of vineyards as well as resorts, it has made the area what it is—a superb destination for a visit.