Ramona Valley is one of California’s youngest wine regions. Despite a recent history and a future yet to be written, the region is already known for the quality of its wines which have earned it recognition in some US wine competitions.
The Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA) was founded in 2002 by fifty small amateur vineyards. Since that time, thanks to the hard work and determination of several members of the Association, the wine industry in the Valley has grown significantly. This is also responsible for the AVA designation obtained in 2006.
Today, the region has hundreds of vineyards with companies springing up year after year.
The Association’s task is aimed at supporting wineries in the development of an industry that enhances the territory, educating growers on successful, sustainable and profitable grape and wine production
The climate and territory of Ramona Valley are two of the key natural factors that strengthen the philosophy of the Association. Without a suitable geography every effort would be in vain.
Every wine region worth mentioning has an important difference between the heat of the day and the coolness of the night. Ramona Valley also has this characteristic, which is significant and constant throughout the ripening season. Ramona is blessed with a fantastic diurnal change with our gloomy marine layer of June giving way to desert heat almost every day during the summer.
The soil is poor, the rocks are rich in minerals and gravel is the predominant growing medium. Ramona is lucky enough to have this beautiful, geologically new, decomposed granite that has just emerged from the depths of the earth. Minerals and gravel are present in abundance.
Granite dominates the geological landscape, both in its original form as rocks or boulders, and in the region’s clay soil as decomposed granite. The presence of granite is also noticeable in Ramona Valley wines: all have a relevant, elegant flint and a backbone of minerality.
The region has several microclimates, some reminiscent of the southern Mediterranean of Europe. This has allowed European vines to thrive in this valley too. The mountains, hills and rocks near Ramona Valley also define the personality of the region’s wines.
Ramona is also known for being one of the highest wine regions in the world, well over five hundred meters above sea level. A condition that makes the Region the Valley of the Sun, pushing many potential producers to invest in the area for increasingly important production.
The Region must certainly be promoted on the communication front by the Association, providing stories, images and more useful content to arouse curiosity among wine lovers and professionals.