During our trip to Wine Country last summer we stopped at Blackstone in Sonoma on day 2 of the trip. Besides finding a great everyday wine in the California Blackstone Cabernet the lady behind the counter was very helpful.

She explained to us wine novices what it means when a bottle of wine says “Napa Valley” or “Sonoma Valley” or “Santa Barbara” or just “California”.

What she said was that in order for a bottle of wine to have the designation of being from the Napa Valley region or viticultural area or appellation of origin (where all these terms mean about the same thing) that a certain percentage of the grapes used in that wine must be grown from that region.

Why do I care about which region the wine comes from? Well, beyond the characteristics of the soil, season length, humidity, and other regional conditions that ultimately affect the grape and to at least some degree the wine, it also affects the price!

Napa Valley is a very prestigious name for wines in the state of California. So sought after is it that wine producers in other regions were apparently putting the label “Napa Valley” on their wine bottles when a very small percentage (if any) of the grapes used to make the wine came from the region. These producers were taking advantage of the region to sell more wine and probably at higher prices.

The next time you’re at the wine store check it out for yourself! In my recent experience the local wine store I saw the Blackstone Cabernet Sauvignon available from Napa, Sonoma and California. Guess how the prices compared? The one from Napa was about $17, the one from Sonoma was about $15 and the one from California was $10.

Now, getting back to what percentage is required is a bit trickier. This is also where the terms State, County and Viticultural area become more important. You can check out the details if you so desire at the Wine Institute but to keep it simple and only regarding viticultural areas (regions) at least 85% of the grapes used in the wine must be grown in the area advertised. In the case of Blackstone and the Cab from Napa you can rest assured that 85% of the grapes used in that wine came from Napa. For the state designation of California at least 75% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been grown in the state.

The truth is that the designation goes beyond simply where the grape was grown. It also has to do with where the wine was “finished” or produced.

As I said, check the Wine Institute for more details but for an everyday application I keep in mind where the grapes are from and what the price difference is. For the record I prefer the California Blackstone Cab to the Napa or Sonoma bottles!