Post-Conference Tour of Central Valley and North Coast Vineyards and Wineries

Friday, October 12 to Sunday October 14

The post-conference tour includes a grape nursery, production and experimental vineyards and wineries in California’s Great Central Valley, the Lodi growing district, and the North Coast regions of Sonoma and Napa. All meals and lodging (meals for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, lodging on Friday and Saturday) are included in the price of $550/person.

Companions will need to register and pay separately to insure our information on the website is complete. The cost of the field tour for companions is the same as for attendees.

Registration for the tour is closed.

Meet at 8:30 on Friday October 12 in front of the UCD Conference Center to board buses. Buses will return to Davis the evening of Sunday, October 14.

→→We recommend that you reserve a hotel room in Davis for the night of Sunday, October 14.

Tour Highlights

Duarte nursery  Duarte nursery is in Modesto in the Central Valley and is one of the largest tree and vine nurseries in the United States. Duarte nursery produces Grapevines, Almond trees, Walnut rootstock, Pistachio rootstock, Stone Fruit trees, Citrus trees, Cherry trees, Pomegranate trees, Blueberries, Blackberries, Olive trees, and Poinsettias during the holiday season all as containerized stock in over 30 acres of indoor growing space. They are also working on new ventures including Figs, and Kiwi’s. They have an on-site tissue culture lab for micropropagation. A lunch will be provided at the nursery. For more information see http://duartenursery.com/

Lodi District

The Lodi District is 90 minutes east of San Francisco at the edge of the Sacramento River Delta. The area’s transition to premium wines got a credibility boost when the Lodi Appellation (American Viticulture Area) was approved in 1986. The Lodi AVA is noted for its Mediterranean climate and its sandy soils.  There are nearly 80 wineries, hundreds of “Lodi” labeled wines, and thousands of acres of winegrapes; Zinfandel is prominent here. The Lodi industry is active in sustainable viticultural practices and publishes a respected workbook for growers ‘Lodi Winegrowers Workbook’. For more information see http://www.lodiwine.com

On the tour we will see fanleaf infected vines, a breeders research block with new rootstocks being tested for virus resistance, and the Lodi wine and Visitor Center, where we will have a wine tasting and dinner at the ‘Wine and Roses Hotel’.

 

Sonoma County

Sonoma County is a coastal county located 30 miles north of San Francisco and is strongly influenced by maritime variations. The Russian River meanders through a lush valley of vineyards, providing a conduit pulling layers of oceanic fog through Healdsburg and into the Alexander Valley. It has more than 13 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas),  and 250 wineries.  Sonoma County consistently produces distinctive, high-quality wines with true varietal typicity.

 

 

 

One of our stops will be Ridge Vineyards. Ridge has focused on single-vineyard wines since 1962.   Their 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon achieved international fame for its fifth place finish in the 1976 "Judgement of Paris" wine tasting. Ridge has been under the direction of winemaker Paul Draper since 1969 and has emphasized natural, ecologically sustainable farming and fermentation. For more information see http://www.ridgewine.com/

 

We will also visit the Kunde Family Estate; 1,850 contiguous acres that extend from the floor of Sonoma Valley into the Mayacamas Mountain range with 700 acres planted to 20 varieties of wine grapes. For more information see http://www.kunde.com/

 

Napa County

Napa Valley is home to approximately 400 wineries and numerous more brands. Its growers and vintners combine cutting-edge science with traditional techniques, and its reputation for producing world-class wines is firmly established in an ever-growing global market. Bounded on both sides by mountains, the Napa Valley stretches approximately 30 miles in a northwesterly direction, its width ranging from five miles at the widest point near the city of Napa to just a mile where the valley narrows near the town of Calistoga. Napa Valley's rare diversity of microclimates is ideal for growing fine wine grapes. Cabernet and Chardonnay are the most widely planted grapes. Napa is also visited for its hot springs, petrified forests, and other natural areas. Within the Napa Valley appellation exists 15 subappellations.

We will tour the University of California Oakville field station, visit leafroll virus/mealybug control research blocks, and visit a Pierce’s Disease-infected vineyard to see effect of riparian replanting for PD control. Other scheduled stops are the Opus One winery and Mondavi vineyards. 

Opus One was founded in 1979 as a partnership between Baron Philippe de Rothschild of France and Robert Mondavi of Napa. In 1981 a single case of the joint venture wine sold for $24,000 at the first Napa Valley Wine Auction – the highest price ever paid for a California wine. In 1985 it became known as America’s first ultra-premium wine. Then in 1988 Opus One became the first ultra-premium California wine to be sold in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland. Michael Silacci is the winemaker, and is responsible for both viticulture and winemaking. For more information see  http://www.opusonewinery.com. 

We will also visit the Robert Mondavi vineyards.  The Robert Mondavi winery was built in 1966 and was  the first major winery to be built in the Napa Valley after Prohibition. (Prohibition was a United States constitutional amendment that banned the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol; it was passed in 1920 and repealed in 1933.) Robert Mondavi helped introduce to California such fine winemaking techniques as the use of cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks, and French oak barrels. He also popularized Fume Blanc, a name he coined for dry-fermented, barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc. For more information see http://www.robertmondavi.com

 

Lodging

Friday night - at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront located along the Sacramento River.  It is next to the iconic Tower Bridge and across the street from Old Town Sacramento.  It has spacious two-room suites, and complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/embassy-suites-sacramento-riverfront-promenade-SACESES/index.html

 

Saturday night  - We will stay at The Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Hotel nestled in the heart of Wine Country on 13 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, with panoramic views of the Santa Rosa Valley.  http://www.hiltonsonomahotel.com

 

 

Schedule:

Friday October 12, meet at 8:30 in front of the UCD Conference Center 

Duarte Nursery

Lodi District vineyards and visitor center

Stay in Embassy Suites in Sacramento

Saturday October 13

Bus tour of the Capitol grounds in Sacramento, the Capitol of California

Travel to Sonoma County

Ridge Vineyards and Kunde Family Estates

Stay in Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Hotel

Sunday October 14

Travel to Napa County

University of California Oakville Field Station

Leafroll virus – mealybug control research block

Pierce’s Disease infected vineyard

Robert Mondavi Vineyards

Opus One Winery

We will return to Davis in the late afternoon.  We recommend that you reserve a hotel room in Davis for the night of Sunday, October 14.