Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705606
3 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | J u l y - A u g 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m county claim Barbera as their "land- mark wine or hidden gem." EL DORADO One of the largest growers of Barbera in El Dorado County is Greg Boeger, whose family has played a major role in the renaissance of winegrowing in the region. Driven by the madness of the Gold Rush, the area once had 1,400 acres of vines and dozens of win- eries. After the double whammy of phylloxera and Prohibition, El Dorado turned to pears, plums and apples. It wasn't until 1973 that Boeger and a few hearty compan- ions realized that the gold in these hills was actually purple. So popular has Barbera become that, for 2015, Boeger found himself purchasing more fruit from other growers (about 60 tons) to meet his need. He's grafting Syrah, Muscat and Chardonnay over to Barbera on his estate vineyards, and contract- bera. I just planted 200 more vines last week." He's adding more next year to meet demand. Amador Winegrowers Associa- tion secretary, Joanne Baldinelli, reports 296 acres of Barbera, 181 of Sangiovese and about five of Nebbiolo in the county. Those num- bers are likely on the rise, as small vineyards proliferate in the region. Amador is clearly golden for grapes, but it's just one of the hot grape-growing counties in the Northern California foothills. Author Barbara Keck, whose new book, "Wineries of the Sierra Foothills," details the growth of the Sierra Foothills AVA, the coun- try's largest by area at 2.6 million acres, says she's seen 15 to 20 new wineries popping up each year of the last five. The Sierra Foothills AVA includes Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mar- iposa, Nevada, Placer, Tuolumne and Yuba counties. Keck says 25% to 40% of the wineries in each Winegrower Greg Boeger grows Italian varieties including Barbera, Aglianico, Refosco, Sangiovese, Negro Amaro and Primitivo. SERVING THE WINE INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS! Carlsen & Associates 707-431-2000 "Having shoveled grapes by hand for over 10 years, purchasing the Carlsen & Associates crush pad is like being in winemaker heaven". "Working with Jon and his team has been nothing but a pleasure." ....Continued.... Seth Martin Perissos Vineyards Burnet, TX "