California is by far the biggest and most important wine producing region in the United States. AVA’s are difficult at best to categorize, but they can generally be broken up into a series of groups starting with the North Coast which contains the areas further north than San Francisco and continues throughout the entire state until you find the South Coast AVA which includes areas known more for celebrities then wine, such as Malibu.
California is by far the biggest and most important wine producing region in the United States. AVA’s are difficult at best to categorize, but they can generally be broken up into a series of groups starting with the North Coast which contains the areas further north than San Francisco and continues throughout the entire state until you find the South Coast AVA which includes areas known more for celebrities then wine, such as Malibu.
Central Coast & Santa Cruz Mountain AVA’s: Although not the most well known groups of AVA’s in the state, some of the best wine around is found in these areas. Paso Robles has recently burst onto the wine scene with some of the best Rhone varietals in the world, while Santa Barbara contributes not only a great wine movie (Sideways) but some of the best cool weather sites in the world in the Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills.
Central Valley: Not known for it’s fine wine production, the California Central Valley relies on its high temperatures and abundant irrigation to produce the largest quantities of wine in the state. Much of the wine labeled as simply “California” comes from this part of the state.
Klamath Mountains AVA’s
North Coast AVA’s: This is the most important group of AVA’s in the state, including Napa and Sonoma.
