Wine: Russian River Valley AVA turns 30

(MercuryNews) - A few decades ago, when Joseph Swan Vineyards owner and winemaker Rod Berglund used to travel the country promoting Russian River Valley pinot noir, his sales meetings sounded more like geography lessons.

"No one cared or knew where we were," recalls Berglund, a founding member of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. "I used to have to get out a map of California and show them where the Napa Valley was. Then I'd talk about this little, big region called Sonoma County. Then we'd work our way to Russian River Valley."

They care now. In three decades, this foggy slice of Sonoma has gone from being just a Napa neighbor to a world-class growing region, known for cool climate varietals, particularly pinot noir, chardonnay and more recently, syrah. The Russian River Valley is now synonymous with earthy, elegant, age-worthy California pinot noir -- from Williams Selyem, Davis Bynum and Merry Edwards -- that rivals even those in Burgundy. Say the name. Everyone knows.

It would not have happened without the tireless work of Berglund and other members of the association, who will be honored at the 18th annual Grape to Glass event on Aug. 17 at Richard's Grove & Saralee's Vineyard in Windsor. Those efforts started in 2005, when they urged the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to expand the American Viticultural Area's total acreage to 126,600 by recognizing overlooked portions of the cool, coastal fog regions -- the most critical factor differentiating the wines from the Russian River Valley.

The new boundary added land to the east and south of the AVA's original established limits, including Green Valley and Sebastopol Hills. In 2011, the association went back to the bureau, amending the definition of the Russian River Valley again to include land west of Rohnert Park and Cotati.