Gaye Allen put Lake County vineyards on the map. Literally.
The long-time publisher and author details each patch of the county”s unique terroir in her colorful and informative new book, “Lake County Wine Guide.” And she includes a fold-out map.
But the true value of Allen”s work is in the detail. Each wine producer receives the sort of attention generally reserved for Napa or the great regions of France. From Beaver Creek to Wildhurst to boutique winemakers with scant marketing budgets, she provides information on history, acreage, soil, varietals grown—even their winemaking philosophy.
“You don”t see anything about Lake County—it”s like publishing into a vacuum,” Allen explained. “But the wine is better and better. They needed something.”
The guide covers 26 larger labels, such as Thorn Hill, Rosa D”Oro and Gregory Graham, and seven smaller names—33 in all. In its pages we learn that Michael Wood came up with the name for his winery when he found an elk”s shed horn while on a hunting trip, that Langtry Estate”s Guenoc Valley grapes thrive on pockets of ancient magma with high magnesium content in the soil and that Obsidian Ridge barrels its wines in Hungarian oak, rather than the more common French or American wood.
Lake County is well suited for winemaking. It is positioned adjacent to Napa and Sonoma in the vast North Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area). It includes seven “sub-appellations” of exclusive terroir—the French word compacting the interaction of climate, geology and the effect of both on the quality of farm-raised goods—defined by elevation, volcanic soil and other features.
The county is so welcoming to grapes, viticulturists tend to 56 different varietals.
“People are surprised by the quality and range of Lake County wines,” Allen said. “People overlook it—but I don”t think that”s going to last much longer.”
Allen points out that many wine tourists—those who venture from tasting room to tasting room—desire to be on the fringe of the crowd or ahead of the trend. She believes Lake County wines are on the upswing.
“It feels like the lost place, but it wasn”t always this way,” she said, referring to the county”s pre-prohibition history of wine production and tourism. “A lot of people feel it”s poised to come back.”
Originally from England, where she served as creative director for Mitchell-Beazley, a publisher known for wine related books, Allen moved to California 15 years ago. Before settling in Lake County and starting her own press, she worked on cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma. Her resume includes Joy of Cooking titles and travel guides.
Lake County Wine Guide is from her own label, Meadowlark Publishing.
“My background is a lot of dense research and finding the best way to present information,” she explained. “I just knew no publisher would do this.”
Most guides stop at location, hours and slick images. Lake County Wine Guide continues on, with sections on local history and, more importantly, the area”s AVAs.
Guenoc Valley earned its designation in 1981. The tufa and ash soils are similar to those found in France”s Bordeaux region, while the temperatures can swing 50 degrees from daylight to night. The volcanic soils and elevation of the Red Hills AVA hasten ripening times, leading to tannic grapes with impressive acidity and structure. The Kelsey Bench features pinot grigio, riesling and sauvignon blanc, but winemakers find it congenial to a number of red varietals.
And there”s more.
Allen still shakes her head at Lake County”s past. Thousands of tourists packed into Bartlett Springs. Water from the springs was served on the Cunard liners plying the oceans.
“Now people are so wimpy about getting here,” she said. “But there are so many places with unbelievable scenery to sip wine.”
The book is available locally. The official launch party will be hosted by the Lake County Wine Studio in Upper Lake on Saturday. But already the guide is gaining notice.
“I”ve had such a lovely response to it,” Allen said. “I was so chuffed to see it.”
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
