UKIAH VALLEY

After redwood trees and fishing, early arrivals in the Yokayo Rancho area also made their living raising cattle and sheep. And they planted crops like pears, prunes, apples, hops…and of course, wine grapes. Some of those early vineyards, many planted by Italian emigrants whose families still live in Mendocino County, continue to produce grapes today. From the County line just south of Hopland to Willits in the north and Anderson Valley to the west, Mendocino County winegrapes cover over 17,000 acres, and, at 25%, the County has one of the highest percentages of organically-farmed grapes in California.