Exactly why this historic wine region deserves to be more celebrated by California winemakers today, and some suggestions for new directions.
Livermore Valley sits just under 50 miles (80 km) east of downtown San Francisco. This modest valley, oriented east–west, was one of California’s most historic winegrowing areas, but is today much less visible thanks to the long shadows cast by better-known Napa and Sonoma. Around 1885, however, Livermore would have likely been the wine country destination of choice for wealthy San Franciscans looking to pay a visit to a vineyard and purchase some wine, with its dozens of wineries...