Sonoma
Valley California is located just 45 miles north of San Francisco
and includes the towns of Sonoma, Glen Ellen, and Kenwood. In 1981,
the United States designated more than 6,000 vineyard acres as Sonoma
Valley - a distinct viticultural area. Sonoma Valley is approximately
8 miles wide and 17 miles long, and now includes three official
appellations: Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Mountain and Carneros. Today,
the district includes more than 13,000 acres of premium wine grapes
and 45 wineries. Here you will find many colorful Sonoma Valley
hotels and restaurants.
Sonoma Valley is known as the birthplace of the California premium
wine industry and the vineyards are some of the finest in the world.
Sonoma Valley wineries include Arrowood, Benziger, Blackstone, Buena
Vista, Chateau St. Jean, Fisher, Kaz, Mantanzas Creek, Sebastiani
and Stonecreek.
Franciscan mission fathers planted the first vineyards here in 1824.
Native Americans lived in Sonoma Valley for more than twelve thousand
years and called this area "Valley of the Moon" because the moon
appears to rise several times a night behind surrounding hills.
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