SLO County has a new wine region. Here’s where and what sets it apart
Move over Paso Robles — San Luis Obispo County has a new, officially recognized wine region it can boast about.
The SLO Coast Wine Collective announced Wednesday that the San Luis Obispo Coast has been recognized as the newest American Viticultural Area by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
AVAs act as regional benchmarks for wine consumers, and are based on distinct geographic features or climates that impact the area’s viticulture.
SLO County previously had only four AVAs: Paso Robles (by far the largest), Arroyo Grande, Edna Valley and York Mountain — all of which were given their designations decades ago.
The most recent one to be approved was Arroyo Grande in 1990.
This makes the SLO Coast AVA the first new regional recognition in more than 30 years.
According to a news release, the SLO Coast AVA establishes a “long, narrow strip of land along California’s pristine Central Coast as a unique grape-growing region that produces wine with character that is particular to the area.”
The new AVA stretches 60 miles from San Simeon to Nipomo, and is, at most, only 15 miles wide, according to the release. The region is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Lucia Mountains.
The SLO Coast Wine Collective, a group of 32 wineries making wine from grapes grown within the region, applied for the AVA in 2017, making a case for the designation based on the area’s unique geography, geology and topography — and in particular, its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, according to the release.
So what makes the region’s grapes distinctive from other SLO County grapes?
“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. “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, color and tannin.”
The San Luis Obispo Coast AVA’s soils range from marine to volcanic depending on the location of the vineyard.
The region’s grapevines are planted along the coastal benchlands, hillsides and valleys between the Pacific and the western slope of the Santa Lucia Mountains.
This range traps the chill coastal wind and fog against its slopes and channels them throughout the AVA, which keeps vineyard temperatures cool and mild and also provides a prolonged growing season “that gives grapes more time to develop complexity.”
According to the release, wines made from grapes grown there tend to exhibit “more fresh fruit and focused acidity than wines grown over the hill in the warmer northeastern part of the county, and the alcohol levels are moderated by the temperature as well.”
“The result is wines that accompany food beautifully while exhibiting an inherent elegance and finesse,” read the release.
The SLO Coast AVA includes 78 vineyards with just under 4,000 acres of planted vines, according to the new release. The most famous varieties include chardonnay and pinot noir, but other more diverse grape varieties like albariño, grüner veltliner, riesling, grenache, syrah, tempranillo, zinfandel and lagrein are also found there.
Wineries that also fall within the smaller Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande Valley AVAs are permitted to use the appellation they feel best represents their wines.
The new AVA also permits producers to use either “San Luis Obispo Coast” or “SLO Coast” on their labels.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 12:47 PM.
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