Wine Growing Areas

Grenache in California

Here is an overview of principal California American Viticultural Areas, (AVAs), the U.S. equivalent of appellations, associated with Grenache. For a deep dive into specific regions, please visit our Regional Guides

California Grenache Acreage by County (2024)

COUNTY 2024 TOTAL GRAPE ACRES
(bearing and non-bearing)		 2024 TOTAL GRAPE HECTARES
(bearing and non-bearing)
Madera 847 342.78
San Luis Obispo 765 309.59
Fresno 673 272.36
Monterey 384 155.40
Santa Barbara 381 154.19
Sonoma 287 116.15
San Joaquin 231 93.48
Mendocino 129 52.21
Kern 79 31.97
El Dorado 72 29.14
Other 499 201.94
STATE TOTAL 4,345 1,758.40

Although Grenache is grown in 36 of California’s 58 counties, from Alameda to Mendocino to the Sierra Foothills to the central valleys and coastal mountains near the Pacific, its best expressions are concentrated in just a handful of areas:  Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, Monterey, and even smaller amounts (fewer than 25 ha/60 acres) in the counties of Napa, El Dorado, Contra Costa, Amador, and Lake. Of the total planted hectares/acres, over 80% exist in warmer areas where the grape is cultivated primarily for volume.


Grenache Around The World:

Below is a list of the principal areas of the world associated with premium Grenache

  • France: Southern Rhône (Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône), Ardèche, Provence (Var), Languedoc-Roussillon (Aude, Pyrénées Orientales, Gard and Hérault)
  • Italy: Sardinia, Veneto (Colli Berici)
  • Spain: Rioja (Orientale), Navarra, Priorat/Montsant, Castilla la Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Valencia, Madrid, Estremadura
  • Other European countries: Croatia, Cyprus, 
  • Australia: South Australia (Barossa, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Riverland), Victoria (Heathcoate)
  • New Zealand: Hawkes Bay
  • South Africa: Paarl and Swartland
  • Other Countries: Morocco, Algeria, Israel,
  • The Americas
    • Argentina: Salta 
    • Chile: Maule, Aconcagua (Casablanca, San Antonio)  
    • Mexico: Mexican Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe
    • USA (beyond CA): Washington State (Walla Walla), Oregon (Milton Freewater, Umpqua Valley), Arizona, Texas, 
    • Other: Peru