- Regions
- Wines
- Winemaking
- Winegrowing
Regions
As the wine industry in California expands, exciting new growing regions have emerged. From rich valley floors to steeply terraced hillsides, from windswept coastal vineyards to cool, inland fog, the state provides the kind of topographical variety that supports many styles of winegrowing. The U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, uses geographical, climatic and historic features to define and name these diverse areas to help wine lovers learn more about the source of the grapes in each bottle.
In the U.S., these federally recognized growing regions are called American Viticultural Areas, or AVAS. As of January 2007, there were 107 AVAs in California, with Cole Ranch in Mendocino County the smallest, at 150 acres, and the Central Coast the largest, at nearly 6.8 million acres. A list of the AVAs can be found online at: http://www.wineinstitute.org/ava/default.asp.
A wine label identifies a wines geographic origin. Appellations may be AVAs or areas defined by political boundries, such as counties or states. A wine bearing the “California” appellation ensures consumers that one hundred percent of the grapes were grown in California. To use a county name, at least 75 percent of the grapes must come from that county; and if an AVA is used, at least 85 percent of the grapes must come from the defined area. California’s wine regions are found along the entire length and breadth of the Golden State. If you’re planning a visit, there’s a good chance you will travel in or near one of these winegrowing regions.
In the U.S., these federally recognized growing regions are called American Viticultural Areas, or AVAS. As of January 2007, there were 107 AVAs in California, with Cole Ranch in Mendocino County the smallest, at 150 acres, and the Central Coast the largest, at nearly 6.8 million acres. A list of the AVAs can be found online at: http://www.wineinstitute.org/ava/default.asp.
A wine label identifies a wines geographic origin. Appellations may be AVAs or areas defined by political boundries, such as counties or states. A wine bearing the “California” appellation ensures consumers that one hundred percent of the grapes were grown in California. To use a county name, at least 75 percent of the grapes must come from that county; and if an AVA is used, at least 85 percent of the grapes must come from the defined area. California’s wine regions are found along the entire length and breadth of the Golden State. If you’re planning a visit, there’s a good chance you will travel in or near one of these winegrowing regions.