Paso Robles new AVA Archives - Wine Country Getaways

These Pomar Junction vineyard are now in the blah AVA

These Pomar Junction vineyards are now in the El Pomar District AVA

Paso Robles wins big with 11 new wine appellations

On October 9, 2014 the United States Treasury Department awarded Paso Robles with 11 new wine appellations. That is a big win for the Paso Robles wineries and vintners. Prior to this, Paso Robles was one big AVA. If you have traveled in Paso Robles wine country, you quickly become aware of the huge differences in climate and geology. From the coast to the eastern edge, there is a vast difference in temperature alone, not even considering the difference in soil. Prior to this ruling, Paso Robles was the largest non-county AVA in the United States. The Paso Robles Wine Association has been asking for these 11 wine appellations since 2007. According to spokesperson Chris Taranto: “These new AVAs are based on meso-climactic, geological, and historical information which highlight each individual district to be unique as a winegrape growing area.” In the photo above we see the Pomar Junction estate vineyards. These vines are subject to climate and soil conditions far different from the Ancient Peak Winery’s vineyards to the south and on the coast in the Santa Margarita area. Prior to this ruling, both wineries labeled their wine “Paso Robles.” Now if the wine is at least 85% from that AVA area, the wineries can label their wine with the AVA El Pomar District and Santa Margarita, respectively. Not only is this a big win for Paso Robles vintners, knowledgeable wine consumers will benefit from knowing where in Paso Robles the grapes in a wine bottle were grown.