There are 149 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in California, a number which is ever increasing. From Mendocino County in the North Coast all the way down to the southern border with Mexico, from coastal regions lining the Pacific Ocean to vineyards flanking the Sierra Nevada foothills, each of the areas boast characteristics that are uniquely their own. These local differences support the cultivation of a wide range of grape varieties and shape a diverse range of wines.
Our regional study guides are authored by local experts, who draw from their first-hand knowledge and experience in these grape growing areas. Whether you’re preparing for a trip to the Golden State or seeking an educational deep-dive into one of its lesser-known sub-regions, here is where you will find information on regional history, geography, climate, soil, signature wines, benchmark wineries, maps and statistics.
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Napa Valley
First recognized at the Judgment of Paris in 1976, Napa Valley is one of the world’s most important fine wine regions.
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Sonoma County
America’s second best-known region for fine wine, Sonoma County, is among the most diverse, dynamic and resilient wine regions in the United States
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Los Carneros
This AVA straddles Napa and Sonoma counties, and while many grape varieties are grown there, it is celebrated for its sparkling wines.
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Mendocino County
Mendocino is a large county, more than 4.5 times bigger than Napa County.
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Lake County
Lake County lies in the northeast corner of the North Coast AVA. It is directly east of Mendocino County, northeast of Sonoma County and north of Napa County.
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Solano County
Solano County is in the North Coast AVA. An 88-acre (36 ha) portion of it is within the San Francisco Bay AVA.
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West Sonoma Coast
West Sonoma Coast is one of the world’s best and newest regions for growing cool-climate grape varieties.
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Santa Barbara
The seven American Viticultural Areas of Santa Barbara County are home to some of California’s most sought after wines.
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Monterey County
Monterey County lies south of Santa Cruz County, east of the Pacific Ocean, north of San Luis Obispo County and west of San Benito, Fresno, and Kings counties.
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Paso Robles
The Paso Robles AVA is in northern San Luis Obispo County.
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San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County, in the heart of the Central Coast AVA, is a diverse and important winegrowing region.
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Livermore Valley
Livermore Valley’s proximity to San Francisco makes it a convenient destination for wine consumers, but this historic wine region is also well regarded by grape growers and winemakers.
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Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is an historic wine region and received much attention and acclaim for its wines in the late nineteenth century.
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San Benito County
San Benito County lies south of Santa Clara County, east of Monterey County, north and west of Fresno County, and west of Merced County.
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San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay AVA is a multi-county wine region.
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Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley AVA flows roughly north-south, through the middle of Santa Clara County, between the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west and the San Felipe and Diablo Hills in the east.
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Lodi and the Delta
The Lodi AVA is America’s largest in terms of plantings, hovering just over 100,000 acres (40,469 ha) of winegrapes.
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Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is a 27,200 km square (10,502 square mile) swath of land running up the center of Northern California.
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Madera County
Madera County is toward the southern end of California’s Inland Valley, in the San Joaquin Valley specifically.
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San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the southern half of California’s great Inland Valley, also known as the Central Valley.
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Placer County
Placer County’s name comes from placer mining, which took place there during the Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. Placer mining is the extraction of minerals from riverbeds.
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Amador County
In the mid-1800s, Amador County was a thriving wine scene: many arrived in search of gold, but upon seeing the land before them, opted to change course, planting vines and making wine in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains instead.
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Nevada County
Nevada County is a mountainous zone within the larger Sierra Foothills AVA and includes much of Tahoe National Forest.
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Yuba County
Yuba County is a remote, mountainous region that draws outdoor enthusiasts and has a small wine imprint in the form of the North Yuba AVA, the northernmost area within the larger Sierra Foothills.
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El Dorado County
El Dorado County sits at the north end of California’s famed Mother Lode, the 120-mile gold vein discovered in the late 1840’s which became the site of the Gold Rush.
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Calaveras County
Writer Mark Twain gave Calaveras County its claim to fame with his bestselling story “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”
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Temecula Valley
Temecula Valley, nested in the sprawling South Coast AVA, is Southern California’s largest wine-producing region by volume.
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Los Angeles County
The coastal areas of Los Angeles county are home to countless movie stars, legendary surf spots, and a handful of highly respected wineries.
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San Diego County
San Diego County is a historically important and climatically diverse wine growing region.
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Cucamonga Valley
Cucamonga Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) within San Bernardino County in southern California.
