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Suisun Valley is an AVA in Solano County, California, 40 miles (65km) north-east of the city of San Francisco. The AVA was one of the first in the state to be recognised in 1982 due to the distinctive quality of its red wines, mostly made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah.

Suisun Valley AVA covers a wide, hilly valley between the Howell Mountains (home to the Howell Mountain AVA further north) and the Vaca Mountains. The valley is open to Suisun Bay in the south, where the San Francisco Bay snakes inland toward Sacramento. The northern border of the appellation is the county line between Solano and Napa, and only a few miles separate the western reaches of Suisun Valley from its more famous neighbor, Napa Valley.

Flowers amongst the vines
©Wooden Valley Winery

The first major influx of settlers arrived in the region in the 1850s during the California Gold Rush, and Suisun Valley's first bounty was cattle and wheat. Fruit orchards followed, and the region's first grape vines were planted in the 1860s. Winemaking was all but abandoned during the era of Prohibition, and the wine industry only began to recover in the 1960s. Today the AVA has about 3000 acres (1200ha) under vine.

The valley enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with cold, wet winters – when most of Suisun Valley's annual rain falls – and warm summers. The long, dry summer days are cooled by the breezes that are funneled up San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. This is most evident in the lower part of the valley, where vineyards are more exposed. The hills in the northern part of the AVA serve as a buffer to the winds, which have a lesser effect this far away from the coast.

The alluvial soils in the valley have been deposited by the rivers that run through Solano County, particularly from the Suisun and Ledgewood creeks. Sandstone and shale soils can be found in the vineyards along the border with Napa County, where the Vaca and Howell mountain ranges have had more of an influence on geology. These soils have excellent drainage and cause the vines to develop deep root systems to get to water, making them stronger and healthier.

The majority of Suisun Valley's vineyards are planted in these higher slopes, where their free-draining soils and sheltered climate are well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Suisun Valley is becoming a sought-after AVA, but a lot of grapes grown here are still sold to producers in Napa Valley to create wines under the regional North Coast AVA.

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