Santa Barbara County's wine country has
three appellations, also known as AVAs (American Viticultural Areas).
Ours are the Santa Maria Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills.
Santa Barbara County shares a fourth appellation — Central Coast
— with six other counties.
These notations on the labels of premium wine are important
to wine consumers because they signal the wine's geographic pedigree.
Appellations provide knowledgeable consumers with better understanding
and appreciation of the differences in climate and soil that shape the
flavors of wines from specific regions. California has 85 appellations
including its most famous, Napa Valley.
Contents of bottles labeled with an appellation must contain
85 percent of grapes grown from that federally designated region.
- News-Press Business Report
