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California gets a new wine region
San Luis Obispo County in California has a new, officially recognised wine region – the SLO Coast. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
The SLO Coast Wine Collective announced on Wednesday that the San Luis Obispo Coast has been recognised as the newest American Viticultural Area by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
Previously home to just four AVAs — Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande, Edna Valley and York Mountain — SLO County has not had a new region approved for 30 years, since Arroyo Grande was last awarded the title in 1990.
A long, narrow strip of land that runs along California’s Central Coast, the new AVA is 60 miles long and 15 miles wide. It’s home to 32 wineries, who together applied for the official status in 2017, making a case for the area’s unique and regional-specific characteristics based largely on its proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
“We are one of the coldest spots to grow grapes because we are so close to the Pacific Ocean,” said SLO Coast Wine president Stephen Dooley in a press release. “What makes this area interesting is the low temperatures coupled with a lot of sunlight. Cool temperatures preserve acid, and in grapes like Pinot Noir, the sun helps with pigment, colour and tannin.”
The SLO Coast AVA includes 78 vineyards and around 4,000 acres under vine, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir being the most dominant plantings, alongside other varieties like Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo and Zinfandel.
According to local vintners, SLO Coast Wines tend to show “more fresh fruit and focused acidity than wines grown over the hill in the warmer part of the county, and the alcohol levels are moderated by the temperature as well.”
Paso Robles may well have some strong competition for its 2022 vintage.
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