Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/7240
74 / the tasting panel / march 2010 wHat'S NExT the new mother lode emerging varietalS may neceSSitate a Second gold ruSH in tHe Sierra footHillS I t was gold that brought throngs of people to the Sierra Foothills in 1849 in the hopes of scoring big. These days, the rush in Gold Country is on wine. Known more as whimsical stops on the way to Tahoe or San Francisco, Amador and Calaveras counties are changing people's perceptions. Though grapes have been planted here since the 1880s, little attention has been paid to this region. Zinfandel has long been the defining grape, producing jammy, simplistic one-trick ponies that were fine for quaffing, but not to be taken seri- ously. These days, Barbera and Viognier are asserting themselves as sophisti- cated examples of what the Mother Lode can produce. Dick Cooper of Cooper Vineyards and Jeff Runquist of Jeff Runquist Wines, both in Amador's Shenandoah Valley, see the Italian red varietal Barbera and the white Rhône Viognier as the area's latest signature grapes. "I've said for years, when everything is said and done, that Barbera may be better suited to Amador than Zinfandel," Runquist says. He points to their story and photos by Michael Cervin Barbera is coming on strong at Jeff Runquist Wines and Cooper Vineyards. Dick Cooper of Cooper Vineyards in Amador's Shenandoah Valley sees the Italian red varietal Barbera and the white Rhône Viognier as the area's latest signature grapes.