The U.S. Tobacco and Trade Administration recently granted AVA status to the Alisos Canyon appellation, bringing the total number of wine appellations in Santa Barbara County to seven.
Image from: Internet
Located between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley appellations, Alisos Canyon is a recent addition to the AVA appellation in Santa Barbara County.
The Alisos Canyon appellation is known for producing Rhone Valley style wines, a 5,774 acre (2,337 hectares) appellation located in northern Santa Barbara County, at the end of the San Antonio River channel that flows into the Pacific Ocean.
This river brings cooler saltwater fog and wind inland, giving the Alisos Canyon appellation a wide range of daily variation, and the Alisos Canyon appellation also has one of the lowest average temperatures in the county"s AVA appellation.
Its soil is a mixture of sand, shale and flint, with limestone streaks running through the area, at elevations ranging from 750 feet to 1,350 feet.
The Alisos Valley appellation is planted mainly with Rhone Valley grape varieties, including Syrah, Grenache and Grenache Blanc.
Vintners in the appellation, which includes Thompson Vineyard, Watch Hill Vineyard, Black Oak Vineyard, Alisos Vineyard and Martian Ranch, can now label their wines with AVA.
