AVA - American Viticultural Area

When you go out wine tasting you get all these terms thrown at you and it can be intimidating. We’re here to simplify things so that you can feel like an expert!

One of those terms is “AVA” and it simply stands for American Viticultural Area. AVA’s are designated by geology, soil, weather, and altitude. So when you taste a bunch of wines from one AVA, you may notice similar characteristics across completely different varietals.

Another term you’ll hear again and again is terroir, which refers to how the climate, soil and terrain affect the taste of a wine. The best explanation of terroir I’ve heard is “a place of taste”. It’s not just the grapes you savor when you sip wine- you’re experiencing the effects of soil, wind, sun and rain. Every AVA has its own unique terroir.

With all that being said, let’s learn a little bit about the amazing Carneros AVA!

Stay tuned!!!

Every other Monday, we will be posting a new AVA in Napa and once we get through the 16 AVA's in Napa, we'll head on over to Sonoma!