Bedroom Communities Seek Vineyard AVA
Suburban growers in Bay Area want recognition to help with local wine sales
Members of the Lamorinda Winegrowers Association (LWA)—six bonded wineries, home winemakers and backyard grapegrowers—hope establishing the AVA will attract more consumers among diners in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, from which the name was coined. The three cities have a combined population of about 50,000.
Currently, Contra Costa County is home to 30 bonded wineries, according to Wines Vines Analytics. Of these, 15 have limited production (less than 1,000 cases per year) and 12 are classified as “very small” (1,000-4,999 cases); the remaining three, located in the eastern part of the county, are deemed “small” with 5,000-49,999 cases. Just south of Contra Costa in Alameda County, the wine industry has been thriving for more than a century in the Livermore Valley.
Although vintners may now choose to designate their wines with the AVAs Central Coast, San Francisco Bay or Contra Costa County, 29,369-acre Lamorinda is landlocked, and its microclimates are distinctly non-coastal. Pinot Noir vines grow on the hillsides’ upper slopes, while Cabernet Sauvignon prefers lower elevation sites, according to the petition.
David Rey chaired the LWA committee that pursued the petition, funded by member assessments during the past three years. While Rey is a home winemaker who cultivates an acre of grapes, he does not have a bonded winery. Eventually he hopes to sell his wines locally under the label “Reliez Valley Vineyards.”
“We are trying to cultivate a local following,” Rey affirmed. Since the LWA was founded in 2005, establishing an AVA has been a priority to build awareness of the local wines. It’s unlikely there will ever be a wine trail, for instance, because “the rules locally would not allow one, or tasting rooms open to the public,” Rey said. “We are all located in residential areas. We’re never going to be a blip in the wine industry,” he conceded.
“We all operate as home-based businesses. My use permit for a bonded winery does not allow for public tasting,” he said. Following approval of the AVA, the association is contemplating a competition for Lamorinda wines, and possibly a future cooperative tasting room in downtown Lafayette. With its thriving, upscale restaurant culture, “There would be synergy,” Rey suggested. Sommeliers are among the association membership.
Each of the three communities has its own rules regarding zoning and permits, but agriculture is generally an allowed use. “You have to get approval to plant a vineyard,” according to Rey. When he planted his vines, he submitted to a design review. “The city didn’t want something that looked industrial, so the rows follow the contours of the land and flow into the gardens around the house. We’re careful to make sure our vineyard activity doesn’t present a nuisance to the neighbors.”
Helpful neighbors
The Livermore Valley wine industry has been helpful from the start, Rey said. Former LWA president Susan Captain, who owns Captain Vineyards with husband Sal Captain, concurred.
“The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association has been the most helpful group,” said Captain, who grows 2.5 acres of vineyards in Moraga. I’ve attended many of their viticulture classes.” Captain Vineyards is a bonded winery producing 1,000 cases annually, all sold directly to consumers at an average price of $38 per bottle.
She called Lamorinda a unique area and estimated that the association currently has as many as 90 members. “Most of us are homeowners with a lot. We do tastings by appointment only.” Although her lot is zoned for agriculture, she said, “We are still in a residential community.”
But Lamorinda has a long tradition of agriculture, and grapes were grown there in the 1840s, Captain said. “We are bringing history back; bringing it to attention.” The Lamorinda name has been used for decades in local publications and brands.
Lamorinda has numerous microclimates and considerable diurnal temperature variation. As in all of California, growers there are considering their options during the drought, according to Rey.
“We’re all trying to get smarter. I have a well on my property, but I’ve got moisture probes, a weather station, automated irrigation monitors,” Rey said. “We take it very seriously.”
Professional help
LWA initially hired Colorado-based geographic consultant Patrick Shabram, to help draft their AVA proposal. The vineyard expert had previously consulted with North Coast AVA petitions including Moon Mountain, Fort Ross and Petaluma Gap.
The Lamorinda group’s mission, he said, was “to distinguish themselves from rest of Contra Costa. Brentwood, for instance, has a very different geography,” he pointed out.
The Lamorinda wineries are very small and primarily selling into the Lamorinda area, he said. “They are selling to use that name. The goal would be to capitalize on the local market. They aren’t looking to greatly expand, but to build a local identity.”
Establishing an AVA “wouldn’t hurt from marketing perspective. The real appeal is the local name,” Shabram said. He doesn’t anticipate objections to the petition. Geologists Drs. Michael Oskin and Kenneth Verosub from the University of California, Davis, prepared the initial soil and geology report, and Shabram completed a climate analysis and overview study, prepared and submitted the petition on LWA’s behalf.
