You’ve heard of Napa, Sonoma and the Santa Cruz Mountains AVAs, the designated wine-growing regions known as American viticultural areas. Now, there’s a new one: a Contra Costa AVA.
The territory, which covers eastern Contra Costa County from Pleasant Hill and Concord up to Martinez and along the Carquinez Strait to Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and Brentwood, was initially proposed by the Contra Costa Winegrowers Association. It took more than four years for the federal Alcohol, Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to assess, but the AVA boundaries were officially approved this spring.
What this designation means to local winegrowers is still up for debate.
It’s a big deal for Becky Bloomfield, president of the winegrowers association. “It’s the biggest thing that’s happened to this area, agriculturally, in maybe 80 years,” she says.
The new Contra Costa AVA boundaries offer federal recognition of a portion of eastern Contra Costa County’s winemaking terroir, outlined in purple. It’s also part of the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay AVAs. (Source: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)
The association’s hope, says Bloomfield, whose family has farmed in the Brentwood area since the 1940s, is that the AVA designation helps local winegrowers get better compensated for the grapes they grow. She’s hoping, too, that the new designation makes it attractive for people to plant new grapes in the area.
For Victor Brandstetter, sales director at Campos Family Vineyards, a 44-acre vineyard and tasting room in Byron, getting the AVA designation is just the start when it comes to building the territory’s credibility for winegrowing, although educating customers will take time. Most of their customers are looking for a good bottle of wine and a bit of fun; where the bottle comes from — whether it’s Contra Costa terroir or from Oregon’s Willamette Valley — is largely irrelevant.
“It’s just the geeks out there who get into this AVA thing,” he says.
The designation took effect in April, but Michael Kaye, winemaker at Brentwood’s Invei Kosher Wine, didn’t know about it until this reporter called. He says he expects the new AVA designation to impact the bottling process this harvest season, as it allows winemakers to include the information on their labels. Hopefully, he adds, it’ll boost the region’s reputation for good-quality wines and put it on a bigger stage.
Contra Costa County’s climate is hotter more consistently than some other regions, and certain types of grapes tend to do better in that environment. Invei specializes in kosher wines, including a malbec rosé and dry muscat canelli.
“We try to make wine from varietals that are less commonly known,” Kaye says.
Winemaker Michael Kaye and Rabbi Dovber Berkowitz make Kosher wines at Invei Kosher Wine in Brentwood. (Courtesy Alla Isakovawitz)
Geographer Patrick Shabram, who led the application process for the new AVA, says having an AVA designation can create a sense of exclusivity and help with sales.
“It usually has a bit more cachet in terms of the marketing perspective,” he says.
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The former Brentwood and Pleasant Hill resident — he lives in Colorado, now — also worked to establish the Lamorinda AVA.
“I’ve long thought that Contra Costa should be a viticultural area,” Shabram says.
The new AVA offers coastal breezes through the Carquinez Strait, which helps moderate the temperatures inland, he says. Further to the west, the climate is cooler, which can slow down the grapes’ maturation, allowing them to develop more complex characteristics.
Where to go tasting
Curious to try wines from the Contra Costa AVA? Here’s a sampling of wineries with tasting rooms.
Bloomfield Vineyards: Open from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays at 633 First St. Brentwood; bloomfieldvineyards.com.
Campos Family Vineyards: Open from noon to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 3501 Byer Road, Byron; camposfamilyvineyards.com.
Erggelet Brothers Wine: Open for tastings by reservation at 2017 Walnut Blvd., Brentwood; erggeletwine.com.
Hannah Nicole Vineyards: Opens at noon daily at 6700 Balfour Road, Brentwood; hnvwines.com.
Viano Vineyards: Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Monday at 150 Morello Ave., Martinez; vianovineyards.com.
Additional wineries within the AVA include Ghilarducci Vineyards in Oakley and McCauley Estate Vineyards, Orchard and Vine and Serendipity Cellars in Brentwood.
Details: Find the full list of Contra Costa Winegrowers Association wineries at ccwinegrowers.com/vineyards.