South Coast AVA

South Coast is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the state of California that encompasses five counties of Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. It was established on November 21, 1985 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted from the South Coast Vintners Association on behalf of grape growers and wineries in the region proposing a viticultural area to be known as "South Coast." The area encompasses about 1,800 sq mi (1,200,000 acres) and expands along the Pacific coastline between Los Angeles (L.A.) and the Mexican border with about 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) under vine at the time. The petition stated that at least 15 wineries were operating within the area. This large appellation includes a number of smaller sub-appellations that all share the common ecology trait of having warm weather moderated by cooling coastal influences from the Pacific Ocean.^[1][2][3]

South Coast

Wine region
Type	American Viticultural Area
Year established	1985[1]
Country	United States
Part of	California
Sub-regions	Ramona Valley AVA, San Luis Rey AVA, San Pasqual Valley AVA, Temecula Valley AVA
Climate region	Region I-V [1]
Total area	1,800 sq mi (1,200,000 acres)[1]
Size of planted vineyards	3,000 acres (1,200 ha)[2]
Grapes produced	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Lenoir, Merlot, Montepulciano, Muscat Canelli, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot gris, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Symphony, Syrah, Tempranillo, Trebbiano, Viognier, Zinfandel[2]

Geography

The "South Coast" viticultural area is distinguished geographically from the surrounding areas as follows:^[1]
(1) To the north, the area is set off by the predominant urbanization of Los Angeles County, which makes grape-growing there unfeasible. The petition explained this as follows: "No doubt portions of Los Angeles County would qualify, with respect to name, as "South Coast." However, as a practical matter the entire Los Angeles County coastal area is urbanized and no present or potential grape growing areas exist. Since no grapes come from Los Angeles County and it is very unlikely that any ever will, it was considered confusing to include the L.A. County in "South Coast."
(2) To the west, the area is bounded by the Pacific Ocean.
(3) The southern boundary of the area. "the Mexican-American border, does not correspond to a geographical distinction. However, since 27 CFR Part 9 is titled "American Viticultural Areas," and since "American" is defined in 27 CFR 9.11 as "Of or relating to the several States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico," it is evident that an American viticultural area must not extend into Mexico.
(4) To the east, the proposed area is distinguished geographically by the limit of "coastal influence." This distinction was described in the petition as follows: "Applicant believes that 'coast' infers some substantial coastal influence on the grape growing areas involved, resulting in classification of same as Zone I through III of the Davis scale. While many grapes are grown in San Bernardino, eastern Riverside, eastern San Diego and Imperial Counties, they are grown in Zones IV or V, and are primarily table grapes rather than wine grapes."

References

1. "South Coast Viticultural Area" (27 CFR Part 9 [T.D. ATF-218; Ref. Notice No. 562] Final Rule). Federal Register. 50 (225). Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury: 48083–48085. November 21, 1985. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. "South Coast (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
3. "Application for Viticultural Designation for "South Coast"". TTB.gov. South Coast Vintners Association. August 27, 1984. Retrieved January 5, 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.