Napa and Sonoma whine in vintners' duel

By Leslie Gevirtz

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Just as there are great sporting rivalries -- Manchester United vs. Chelsea football teams, or the Red Sox vs. the Yankees -- such is the duel between Sonoma and Napa California wines.

What started out as friendly kidding between the two regions just north of San Francisco has turned into somewhat of a marketing brawl with folks in smaller Napa looking down upon Sonoma's larger producers.

"They just think we're a bunch of snots, that we make wine only for the elite," said Stuart Smith, owner of Napa Valley's Smith-Madrone vineyards.

"I feel for them. I understand their frustration. They look at the pricing here and wonder what they are doing wrong."

Napa Valley wines, generally speaking, are pricier than those produced in Sonoma, and the valley is home to most of California's cult wines like Screaming Eagle, Araujo, and Colgin.

Part of what makes them so sought after is that so little is produced and when they are available collectors will pay anywhere from $400 to well over a $1,000 a bottle.

But for Sonoma wine maker Steve Reeder, it's not the cost of the bottle, but what is in it that matters.

"Wine is for the people. It is not for the elite," the 51-year-old Simi Vineyards winemaker said.