California’s Russian River Valley appellation is named for Russian individuals who once lived there. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Russians lived and farmed in the Russian River area during the early 19th century. They established Fort Ross (Ross is a contraction of the old root word “Rossiya” meaning Russia) on the Sonoma coast in 1812 and then expanded inland into the surrounding valley and river basin where they grew wheat and vegetables and had both vineyards and orchards.