Posted on 01/21/2006 1:18:01 PM PST by george76
In the fog-shrouded forests of California's remote North Coast, winemakers believe they've found the perfect terrain to grow the notoriously fickle pinot noir grape prized by connoisseurs.
Vineyard developers are snapping up thousands of acres of redwoods and firs in Sonoma County, with plans to clear the trees and plant the once-obscure varietal made famous by the wine-fueled road trip film "Sideways."
Environmentalists and residents in Annapolis, a tiny town about 140 miles north of San Francisco, are trying to rein in the pinot lovers.
"If you've seen the movie, you've seen the glassy-eyed stare they have when they talk about their plans to produce pinot noir up here,"...
"We feel it's much more important for future generations to have forests on these hills than wine grapes."
As demand for California wine grows, vintners are looking for new terrain beyond traditional wine-growing regions such as the Napa and Sonoma valleys, where available land is scarce and expensive.
A group of Annapolis residents formed Friends of the Gualala River and teamed up with the Sierra Club and other environmental groups to protect the forests.
They say there isn't enough water to support more vineyards, which pollute the river and soil and threaten salmon and other wildlife with runoff.
"We're not saying you shouldn't drink wine.
We're saying there are more appropriate lands to grow wine grapes on," said Keith Kaulum, a local Sierra Club activist.
Currently, landowners who want to convert timberlands must apply for a permit from the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, a process that usually requires a rigorous series of environmental studies.
(Excerpt) Read more at sunherald.com ...
I assume it's some rare viticulture pursuit or maybe disease. Perhaps Asian?
Did you notice that the date on that label is indeed 1981?
Perhaps they can devote themselves to opposing kudzu!
Hey, I say keep the trees (our Pinot Noir wines in Oregon are superb.)
Feast or famine....it's always something
"If it hadn't just flooded there this month, that claim might be more credible."
_______________________________
Most of that just flows into the ocean. There is very little storage ability in the area, either above ground in reservoirs or below ground in alluvial basins....its mostly fractured bedrock except for creekbeds.
Goes GREAT with Pinot Noir!
I've been drinking Pinot Noir since the early 1980's, though right now I'm having a glass of Australian Shiraz as I prepare dinner. :) Is it "news" because they want to grow the grape here? The sentence in the story reads like Pinot Noir is something "new." Dorks.
Wine snobs?
Hey, I like California's pinot noir!
What!? You mean with their own money?
If you can pronounce "wine" without the "H" you can be on the ping list.
I'll try ;-)
Actually I did, but I still am missing the significance. Please enlighten me.
Actually I did, but I still am missing the significance. Please enlighten me.
ping
While I am against 99.9% of anything Sierra Club is for, we have a friend who lived along the Gualala River on the Coast and visited often, it was/is a magnificently beautiful place with a lot of old growth trees; I would hate to see them go away and be replaced by vineyards instead. Of course, vineyards are probably better than pot growers who regularly use these forests to hide their crops.
My Sister in law and BIL leave in Cambria and if you haven't purchased a water meter sticker for property you own, you can still own the property, but you are not going to be allowed to build on it and each lot or piece of land doesn't receive a meter.
No No No...Oenology relates to people like me who turn ornery when our favorite wine rises above $7.00 a bottle because the anarchist mess with the vineyards... and I'm not talking about Peanut Nohair!
I'm not sure I get your point. Domaine de la Romanée Conti has been making fine Burgundies from the Pinot Noir grape since about 1650.
-ccm
Well, personally I would hate to see more of Sonoma County be eaten up by vineyards. But being a conservative, I don't feel the need to throw a temper tantrum to impose my views on others' private property. I hope to see the day though when such dilemmas are solved in a truly scientific and free-market-based manner rather than through lawsuits and regulation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.