Hannah
Nicole Winery: Growing their Own Identity
With
over a million residents and a bustling suburban scene, it's
understandable that wine isn't the first thing people think
about in Contra Costa County. At Hannah Nicole Winery,
they are working to change that. There is a long history of
growing grapes in the region, but until fairly recently the
production of wine wasn't allowed at those growing sites. Now
that the laws have been changed, the folks at Hannah Nicole
Winery are out to establish their own identity.
A
first step to that end is being able to educate people about
their region. The eastern part of Contra Costa County was not
included in the San Francisco Bay appellation when its boundaries
were decided. Thus, Mark Enlow, the operations manager at Hannah
Nicole, has been working with others in the newly formed
Diablo Foothills Winegrowers Association to provide the east
side of the county with it's own American Viticulture Area (AVA)
designation.
As
with many regions that are still in the process of growth, Contra
Costa County faces a degree of skepticism when it comes to the
quality of their fruit and ultimately their wines. Bottles from
well established regions, such as Napa and Sonoma, are sometimes
assumed to be of better quality, but quality in any region isn't
fixed, and the fruit grown in Contra Costa County is quite comparable
to growing regions throughout the state. In fact, many wineries
source grapes from Contra Costa County to blend into their wines,
and as long as it is under 25% of the final proportions, they
are not required to acknowledge the fruit's presence on the
label. In other words, there is a good chance you have enjoyed
a bottle of wine with fruit from Contra Costa County and just
haven't known it.
Of
course, part of raising awareness about the county's wine means
getting people to try it, and Hannah Nicole
is pioneering that effort. They are the first operation in the
area to have a fully functioning winery and tasting room on
site. Having such a facility allows them to host plenty of events,
from winemaker dinners, to weddings, to a concert series during
the summer months. So weather you come for the music and stay
for the wine or come for the wine and stay for the music, there
is plenty of fun to be had.
At
Hannah Nicole, there wines are generally, fruit-driven,
lush, and approachable. (Click the links to read reviews of
their Vioginer, Sauvignon Blanc, Le Melange Rosé, Merlot,
and Meritage.) When it comes to white varietals, Vioginer has
shown very well for them as well as other vintners in the area.
Rhone reds, like Petite Sirah and Syrah as well as Bordeaux
varietals, like Merlot and Petit Verdot have also produced some
very nice wines.
Mark
believes that "if an AVA were granted to this area, you'd
see six to eight wineries pop up like that." With an identity
to build on, Mark sees the growers association putting together
more events to showcase the wines of the area, and as awareness
grows, the amount of interest and investment in the county will
increase. " For a long time, there were only a handful
of wineries in Livermore and then, suddenly, forty -two."
Mark sees the same kind of growth coming to the Contra Costa
region. As more and more wineries follow in Hannah Nicole's
footsteps and the quality of the region continues to improve
with each harvest, there is little doubt wine lovers are going
to catch on and realize just what this region has to offer.
Keep an eye on the area; a lot is likely to happen in the next
few years.
By Jason Barlow
www.hnvwines.com/