The Non-Competition between Napa and Sonoma
Visitors to wine country always assume that there is a deep competitive chasm separating the two counties, but it really isn’t so. How can that be in such a competitive field where wineries pursue scores with slavish devotion to lab reports and consultant’s recommendations, where restaurant sales figures listing the top labels is pored over by industry leaders looking for trends and strategies?
The reason for the lack of competitiveness between the counties is due to one thing; to compete you need to notice each other, in many ways Napa and Sonoma don’t! Why is that? First of all, there is a big mountain range in between them, and only five roads that connect them. All of them are two lanes, three cross over the tops of the mountains, and only one, the Carneros Highway in the south is suitable for trucks.
The two counties live a parallel existence, but their distances from the ocean, Sonoma is a coastal county, defines which grapes they excel at growing and that makes them very different. Sonoma thrives selling Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and a fair amount of Syrah and Zinfandel, while Napa commands the Bordeaux varieties, and is most famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon. Comparing the wines of Napa and Sonoma is comparing oranges to apples (Sonoma is famous for its apples).
While that difference is significant it is just one of the many differences between the two regions. If the Mayacamus mountains is the back of the region Napa and Sonoma stand with their backs to each other and they face different worlds. They connect to different neighbors. Sonoma connects to trendy Marin in the south and Hippy Mendocino in the north. To reach San Francisco from Sonoma you take the Golden Gate Bridge. Napa connects to working class Solano County in the south and retirement home Lake County in the north. To reach San Francisco they take the Bay Bridge.
Kids growing up in downtown Napa have barely ever been to Sonoma. In comparison, kids from downtown Sonoma have been to Napa often because that’s where the fast food restaurants live along with the big box stores. The two groups go to different malls. There is no bus service between the two counties. As tour guides we travel all over both counties frequently and it often amazes us when talking to winemakers and winery staff how little they know of their neighboring county and the wineries there. To be competitive you have to notice the competition, and they just don’t do that.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com
