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more than 38,000 acres, or about 8 percent of California’s
vines, this AVA lies southeast of Merced and
northwest of Fresno, covering most of MaderaCounty
as well as northern FresnoCounty. Because of the warm growing season, the region
leads the production of French Colombard and Chenin Blanc winegrapes, and has
been increasingly planted to Chardonnay.The leading red varieties include Zinfandel, Grenache, Merlot and
Barbera.While most of this fruit is
destined for good-value wines, a few producers specializing in dessert and
Port-style wines have brought attention to this growing area.
