Sta. Rita Hills AVA

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California. From its creation in 2001 through 2006, the wine appellation was officially named Santa Rita Hills AVA. The formal name change was the result of a protest by and subsequent negotiations with Vina Santa Rita, a very large Chilean wine producer that was concerned about the AVA name diluting its international brand value. The name change took effect on January 5, 2006, with a yearlong period for producers in the AVA to change their wine labels.[3]

Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Wine region
TypeAmerican Viticultural Area
Year established2001, amended 2005, 2016[1]
CountryUnited States
Part ofCalifornia, Central Coast AVA, Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Other regions in California, Central Coast AVA, Santa Ynez Valley AVABallard Canyon AVA, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, Los Olivos District AVA
Total area30,720 acres (12,432 ha)[2]
Size of planted vineyards2,700 acres (1,093 ha)[3]
No. of vineyardsover 59[2]
Grapes producedBarbera, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Dornfelder, Grenache, Mission, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel[3]
No. of wineries54[4]
CommentsAs of 2020

Geography

Sta. Rita Hills is part of the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA, located between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton with the Purisima Hills on the north and the Santa Rosa Hills on the south. The wine region is exposed to fog and coastal breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The hills run east to west, which allows cool ocean breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean to enter the valley created by the hills and create a cool mesoclimate. When combined with the rocky nature of the area, the Santa Rita Hills area is well-suited for the growing of Pinot noir grapes, which tend to do well in cool climates with rocky soil. The region is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and cool climate Syrah varietal wines.

Wine industry

Several wineries are located in and around the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.[5] Wineries and locations in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA were featured in the 2004 U.S. film Sideways. Sideways Fest is an annual three-day event hosted by the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance celebrating the anniversary of the movie's filming in the Santa Ynez Valley.[6]

See also

References
  1. "§9.162 Sta. Rita Hills" (Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas). Code of Federal Regulations. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  2. "Establishment of Santa Rita Hills Viticultural Area (98R-129 P)" (66 FR 29476 , 27 CFR 9 Doc#: 01-13645). Federal Register. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. May 31, 2001. pp. 29476–29480.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. "Sta. Rita Hills (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  4. "Sta. Rita Hills AVA Wineries". Santa Barbara Vintners Association.
  5. Elliott, Farley (May 13, 2020). "Could California's Central Coast Lead the Way For the Future of Local Food Tourism?". Eater LA. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  6. "Sideways Fest". California 101 Traveler's Guide. September 27, 2019.

34°38′03″N 120°17′17″W

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.