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California Wine Regions

In the wine and agriculture industries, grape growing regions are most often referred to as Appellations. The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) officially designates some grape growing regions (Appellations) as American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), however all Appellations are not designated as AVAs. Each AVA is recognized as having has unique growing conditions such as climate (i.e. temperature, humidity), soil (i.e. drainage, acidity) or altitude or that results in certain characteristics in the finished wine. There are currently 165 AVAs in the United States, of which California has 93.

 AVAs can themselves contain unique smaller regions called sub-AVAs. For example, the Napa Valley is an AVA that contains the Saint Helena and Oakville AVAs, among others.

When an AVA is designated on a wine label, 85% of the grapes used to make that wine must have come from that AVA. If a non-AVA Appellation or region is designated on a wine label, at least 75% of the grapes must come from that area. It should be noted that the designation of an AVA does not infer the quality of the wine, but may sometimes infer a general characteristic of the wine.

In very general terms, California wine grape growing regions are divided into the following:

Wine Region
Example AVAs

North Coast

Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, Alexander Valley, Guenoc Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Los Carneros

Central Valley

Anderson Valley, Lodi, Clarksburg

Sierra Foothills

CA Shenandoah Valley, El Dorado, Fiddletown

Central Coast

Livermore Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley

South Coast

Temecula, San Pasqual Valley

Below is a list of California AVAs by county. Since AVAs are not confined to county boundaries, you may notice that a particular AVA may be listed under several counties.

 
COUNTY
AVA Name
Acreage

Alameda

Central Coast

4000000

Alameda

Livermore Valley

96000

Amador

California Shenandoah Valley

10000

Amador

Fiddletown

11500

Amador

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Calaveras

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Contra Costa

Central Coast

4000000

El Dorado

California Shenandoah Valley

10000

El Dorado

El Dorado

416

El Dorado

Fair Play

21120

El Dorado

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Fresno

Madera

230000

Humboldt

Willow Creek

6000

Lake

Benmore Valley

1440

Lake

Clear Lake

168960

Lake

Guenoc Valley

4396

Lake

High Valley

14000

Lake

North Coast

3008000

Lake

Red Hills Lake County

0

Los Angeles

Malibu-Newton Canyon

850

Madera

Madera

230000

Marin

North Coast

3008000

Mariposa

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Mendocino

Anderson Valley

600

Mendocino

Cole Ranch

150

Mendocino

McDowell Valley

540

Mendocino

Mendocino Ridge

87466

Mendocino

North Coast

3008000

Mendocino

Potter Valley

27500

Mendocino

Redwood Valley

22400

Mendocino

Yorkville Highlands

40000

Monterey

Arroyo Seco

18240

Monterey

Carmel Valley

19200

Monterey

Central Coast

4000000

Monterey

Chalone

8540

Monterey

Hames Valley

10240

Monterey

Monterey

35758

Monterey

San Bernabe

24796

Monterey

San Lucas

33920

Monterey

Santa Lucia Highlands

22000

Napa

Atlas Peak

11400

Napa

Chiles Valley

6000

Napa

Diamond Mountain

5000

Napa

Howell Mountain

14080

Napa

Los Carneros

0

Napa

Mount Veeder

15000

Napa

Napa Valley

225280

Napa

North Coast

3008000

Napa

Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

8300

Napa

Oakville

5760

Napa

Rutherford

6650

Napa

Saint Helena

9060

Napa

Spring Mountain District

8600

Napa

Stags Leap District

2700

Napa

Wild Horse Valley

3300

Napa

Yountville

8260

Nevada

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Placer

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Riverside

Cucamonga Valley

109400

Riverside

South Coast

115200

Riverside

Temecula

33000

Sacramento

Clarksburg

64640

Sacramento

Lodi

458000

San Benito

Central Coast

4000000

San Benito

Chalone

8540

San Benito

Cienega Valley

0

San Benito

Lime Kiln Valley

2300

San Benito

Mount Harlan

7440

San Benito

Pacheco Pass

3200

San Benito

Paicines

4500

San Benito

San Francisco Bay

1566713

San Bernardino

Cucamonga Valley

109400

San Diego

San Pasqual Valley

9000

San Diego

South Coast

115200

San Francisco

Central Coast

4000000

San Francisco

San Francisco Bay

1566713

San Joaquin

Lodi

458000

San Joaquin

River Junction

1300

San Luis Obispo

Arroyo Grande Valley

42880

San Luis Obispo

Central Coast

4000000

San Luis Obispo

Edna Valley

22400

San Luis Obispo

Paso Robles

666618

San Luis Obispo

Santa Maria Valley

80000

San Luis Obispo

York Mountain

9360

San Mateo

Central Coast

4000000

San Mateo

San Francisco Bay

1566713

San Mateo

Santa Cruz Mountains

0

Santa Barbara

Central Coast

4000000

Santa Barbara

Santa Maria Valley

80000

Santa Barbara

Santa Rita Hills

30720

Santa Barbara

Santa Ynez Valley

76800

Santa Clara

Central Coast

4000000

Santa Clara

San Francisco Bay

1566713

Santa Clara

San Ysidro District

2340

Santa Clara

Santa Clara Valley

332800

Santa Clara

Santa Cruz Mountains

0

Santa Cruz

Ben Lomond

38400

Santa Cruz

Central Coast

4000000

Santa Cruz

San Francisco Bay

1566713

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Mountains

0

Siskiyou

Seiad Valley

2160

Solano

Clarksburg

64640

Solano

North Coast

3008000

Solano

Solano County Green Valley

2560

Solano

Suisun Valley

15360

Solano

Wild Horse Valley

3300

Sonoma

Alexander Valley

32536

Sonoma

Bennett Valley

8140

Sonoma

Chalk Hill

22400

Sonoma

Dry Creek Valley

80000

Sonoma

Knights Valley

36240

Sonoma

Los Carneros

0

Sonoma

North Coast

3008000

Sonoma

Northern Sonoma

348000

Sonoma

Rockpile

15400

Sonoma

Russian River Valley

126600

Sonoma

Sonoma Coast

480000

Sonoma

Sonoma County Green Valley

32000

Sonoma

Sonoma Mountain

5000

Sonoma

Sonoma Valley

4000

Stanislaus

Diablo Grande

30000

Stanislaus

Salado Creek

2940

Trinity

Trinity Lakes

96000

Trinity

Willow Creek

6000

Tuolumne

Sierra Foothills

2600000

Yolo

Clarksburg

64640

Yolo

Dunnigan Hills

89000

Yolo

Merritt Island

5000

Yuba

North Yuba

22400

Yuba

Sierra Foothills

2600000

 


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