St. Helena an important place wine culture

St. Helena’s history and importance

St. Helena, CA, with fewer than 6,000 people, is one of the acknowledged  centers of the global wine business. It has more than 80 St. Helena wineries and is home to some of the world’s finest wines. St. Helena was incorporated as a town in 1876. Even before it was officially a town, it was a center of the local wine industry, with vineyards being planted in the 1860s.

In 1981, the Napa Valley was named California’s first American Viticulture Area, which now includes 16 nested AVAs. The St. Helena AVA itself is noted for warmth, with less fog and wind than other parts of the valley. Its soil ranges from gravel-clay soils on its southern and western borders to rich volcanic soils in the north and east. It produces deep, ripe Cabernet Sauvignons, Cabernet Francs and Merlots with jammy flavors and blackcurrant aromas.

A winery near St. Helena

Some of the best California wines come from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena. Anderson’s produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain. The microclimate of Conn Valley is cooler than many other parts of the valley, although warmer than Howell Mountain itself, so the grapes they grow are closer to mountain grapes than the grapes in the St. Helena AVA proper. By ordering six bottles or more per year, you can join their wine club. This will get you a discount on many of their finest wines. Try a bottle today.