The Edna Valley AVA is an
American Viticultural Area located in
San Luis Obispo County, California encompassing the rural town of
Edna, which is south of the county seat
San Luis Obispo and north of the small coastal town
Arroyo Grande. It is a sub-region of the larger
Central Coast AVA. The valley is roughly bounded by
Lake Lopez to the south and
Islay Hill to the north. The valley runs east to west, bounded to the west by the
Santa Lucia Mountains. It is surrounded by
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...
mountains and characterized by black
humus
In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
and
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...
-rich soils. With moderate sunshine, cool maritime fog, and rich oceanic and volcanic soils, the Edna Valley appellation has California's longest growing season. The valley is kept cool by breezes from the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
and morning
fog. The extended growing season gives complex flavors to the grapes.

The region is best known for
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...
,
Pinot noir, and to a lesser extent,
Syrah. Grapes were originally planted here by
Spanish missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
in the early 19th century. The region saw a revival when new vineyards were planted in the early 1970s by what is known today as Edna Valley Vineyard. Edna Valley wines are often grouped with those of the contiguous
Arroyo Grande Valley AVA
The Arroyo Grande Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA with the area composrd of sedimentary and volcanic soils over a layer of bedrock known as the F ...
.
The AVA was designated in 1982, with help from the founders of what today is the Edna Valley Vineyard.
References
External links
Touring the Edna Valleyat Sunset Magazine
American Viticultural Areas of California
Geography of San Luis Obispo County, California
Valleys of San Luis Obispo County, California
American Viticultural Areas
American Viticultural Areas of Southern California
1982 establishments in California
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