#Slo wine maps plus

Sonoma County, home to 13 AVAвЂ™s and more than 500 wineries, grows more Pinot Noir than any other county in the state. Lake County is known for its fine, affordable Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, but also produces quite a bit of Merlot and Chardonnay along with some other less common varietals.

Lake County, home to 5 AVAвЂ™s, sits just east of Mendocino and is named for the largest inland body of water in the state of California, Clear Lake. Mendocino County is home to 10 AVAвЂ™s with the most widely known being Anderson Valley (known for sparkling wines) and Mendocino AVAвЂ™s. However, because of the countyвЂ™s diverse geography and climate, dozens of other varietals grow here ranging from more familiar varietals like Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah to more obscure like Colombard and Charbono. Foggy, cool and covered in redwood forests, Mendocino grows an abundance of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. Mendocino County is the northernmost growing area within the North Coast region. Within this massive AVA, many smaller, highly regarded growing regions and AVAвЂ™s exist. ItвЂ™s a large wine growing region that is home to more than half of the stateвЂ™s wineries and is also a designated AVA. The North Coast is home to the grape regions that put California wine on the map and encompasses Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Solano, and Marin Counties. As we look at the state of California geographically, weвЂ™ll explore the major wine regions and the most important AVAвЂ™s in each region. Many of us are familiar with the major wine growing regions such as Napa and Sonoma Valleys, but within each of these regions, there may be several AVAвЂ™s, both large and small. An AVA can be any size (there are no minimums or maximums) and may even cross state or county lines. An AVA is a geographical area recognized for grape growing that has distinguishable growing conditions, such as climate, soil, or elevation, that differ from surrounding areas.

Within California there are more than one hundred AVAвЂ™s. And any wine simply stating that it is from вЂњCaliforniaвЂќ indicates that 100% of the grapes are grown in the Golden State. If a county is listed on the label, that number is 75%. For a wine to carry an AVA name on its label, at least 85% of the grapes must be grown in that AVA. In some cases it will be the state of California itself, a county within the state, or a more specific growing region known as an American Viticultural Area, or AVA. This diversity means that within the state, there is a wine for every palate.Д®very bottle of California wine on the market lists the geographical origin where the grapes were grown. A Chardonnay grown in the Central Valley can seem like an entirely differently grape when compared to a Chardonnay produced from Monterey grapes.

#Slo wine maps plus

Ranging from abundant sunshine to cool coastal air, plus a variety of soils and terrain, each region lends its own personal touch to the varietals grown there.

CaliforniaвЂ™s wine growing regions produces unique and diverse wines, with different flavors and characteristics being derived from the soil, climate and the winemakers that create them.