Where does Stanislaus County rank among California wine spots? You might be surprised
Stanislaus was second only to Napa in an online ranking of California wine counties.
“Wait, what?” might be a wine fan’s first reaction to Monday’s announcement by LawnStarter. Stanislaus is among the nation’s top producers by volume, but Napa and other premium regions usually dominate the talk about quality.
A look at LawnStarter’s methodology explains this. The criteria include the number of awards won by the wineries in 2019 and 2020. Many of these competitions have divisions for low-priced and mid-market wines, along with the high-end stuff.
E.&J. Gallo Winery of Modesto has racked up its share of medals. So has Bronco Wine Co., south of Ceres, which is much smaller than Gallo but still a major industry player.
Napa topped the list based mainly on having the largest number of wine producers and blenders. It also has the most “American viticultural areas” – federally recognized sub-regions with specific soil and climate.
Stanislaus fell far short on another measure, ranking 17th on the number of winery tours offered to the public. Gallo and Bronco do not do this in their home county.
Stanislaus did rank third for lodging for wine fans, which includes the number of affordable places to stay.
Sonoma County was third in the overall rankings after Napa and Stanislaus.
San Joaquin was fourth, thanks mainly to the number of wineries and awards. It includes the premium Lodi region, a tourist draw, as well as industry giants Delicato Family Wines near Manteca and The Wine Group near Ripon.
Merced County ranked 34th. It grows a fair amount of wine grapes but does not have major visitor destinations.
LawnStarter is a national company where people can arrange for landscaping services. It has branched into rankings on unrelated topics, such as “best cities for golfers” and “best cities to get stoned,” where Modesto ranked 58th.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
