The North Coast AVA is an American Viticultural Area

American Viticultural Area

An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....

 in the state of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 that encompasses grape-growing regions in six counties located north of San Francisco: Lake

Lake County, California

Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...

, Marin

Marin County, California

Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

, Mendocino

Mendocino County, California

Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...

, Napa

Napa County, California

Napa County is a county located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population is 136,484. The county seat is Napa....

, Sonoma

Sonoma County, California

Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....

, and Solano

Solano County, California

Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...

. This large appellation

Appellation

An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...

 covers over 3000000 acres (12,140.6 km²) and includes a number of smaller sub-appellations that all share the common ecology trait of having its weather affected by the cool fog and breezes of the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

.

Appellations

The boundary of the North Coast AVA encompasses many smaller wine appellations, which generally have higher consumer appeal and therefore higher commercial value. Wine produced primarily from grapes grown in any one of these appellations will likely carry that appellation on its bottle label rather than the North Coast AVA designation. The North Coast AVA designation is primarily used on bottles of wine created by blending wines from several counties or American Viticultural Areas.

Counties

Because U.S. county names automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine, the following appellations do not require registration with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau:

• Lake County
  Lake County wine
  Lake County wine is an appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Lake County, California, located north of Napa County. Although each region within the county has unique viticultural attributes, all are influenced by Clear Lake, the largest inland body of water in the state...
  
  
• Marin County
  Marin County, California
  Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
  
  
• Mendocino County
  Mendocino County wine
  The Mendocino County wine is an appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Mendocino County, California. The region is part of the larger North Coast AVA and one of California's largest and most climatically diverse wine growing regions...
  
  
• Napa County
  Napa County wine
  Napa County wine is wine made in Napa County, California, USA. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and...
  
  
• Solano County
  Solano County, California
  Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
  
  
• Sonoma County
  Sonoma County wine
  Sonoma County wine is wine made in Sonoma County, California, USA. County names in the United States automatically qualify as legal appellations of origin for wine produced from grapes grown in that county and do not require registration with the United States Department of the Treasury, Alcohol...
  
  

Registered American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)

The following American Viticultural Areas are all entirely contained within the boundary of the North Coast AVA:

• Alexander Valley AVA
• Anderson Valley AVA
  Anderson Valley AVA
  The Anderson Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area centered around the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, California. It is known primarily for its Pinot Noir and sparkling wine production. Lying to from the Pacific Ocean, the AVA is prone to wide diurnal temperature variation of between...
  
  
• Atlas Peak AVA
  Atlas Peak AVA
  The Atlas Peak AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA just northeast of the city of Napa. The appellation sits on a higher elevation than most of Napa's wine region which limits the effects of the cool fog coming in from Pacific Ocean. The westward orientation of most...
  
  
• Benmore Valley AVA
  Benmore Valley AVA
  The Benmore Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southwestern Lake County, California. The valley is named for Benjamin Moore, a local 19th century cattle rustler. The valley is a high depression in the mountains of southwestern Lake County, and is much cooler than surrounding...
  
  
• Bennett Valley AVA
  Bennett Valley AVA
  The Bennett Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Sonoma County, California. The boundaries of this appellation lie completely within the North Coast AVA, almost completely within the Sonoma Valley AVA and overlaps into some areas of the Sonoma Coast AVA and Sonoma Mountain AVA...
  
  
• Chalk Hill AVA
  Chalk Hill AVA
  The Chalk Hill AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Sonoma County, California. The boundaries of the wine appellation cover the northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA. The majority of vineyards are located to the east of U.S. Route 101, near the town of Windsor...
  
  
• Chiles Valley AVA
  Chiles Valley AVA
  The Chiles Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA. The Chiles Valley is nestled in the Vaca Mountains on the northeast side of Napa Valley. The appellation has a warmer and more continental climate than other portions of Napa Valley...
  
  
• Clear Lake AVA
  Clear Lake AVA
  The Clear Lake AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Lake County, California.Half of the area contained within the boundaries of the AVA is Clear Lake, the largest body of freshwater in the state of California, and the namesake for the county...
  
  
• Cole Ranch AVA
  Cole Ranch AVA
  The Cole Ranch AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Mendocino County, California. At less than a quarter of a square mile, it is the smallest appellation in the United States. The AVA is located between the Russian River and Anderson Valley. All planted land in the appellation is owned...
  
  
• Covelo AVA
  Covelo AVA
  The Covelo AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in northern Mendocino County, California. Although the region only has under vine, it was granted AVA status by the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on February 16, 2006 based purely on the...
  
  
• Diamond Mountain District AVA
  Diamond Mountain District AVA
  The Diamond Mountain District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in California's Mayacamas Mountains in the northeast portion of the Napa Valley AVA...
  
  
• Dos Rios AVA
  Dos Rios AVA
  The Dos Rios AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in northern Mendocino County, California. The appellation is located near the confluence of the Eel River and the Middle Fork of the Eel River. The name of the appellation is Spanish for "two rivers". The location would have a warm climate...
  
  
• Dry Creek Valley AVA
  Dry Creek Valley AVA
  The Dry Creek Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, located northwest of the town of Healdsburg. The valley is formed by Dry Creek, a tributary of the Russian River, and is approximately long and wide...
  
  
• Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA
  Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA
  The Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA. Located at the southwestern corner of the Russian River Valley AVA, its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes it one of the coolest appellations within Sonoma County...
  
  
• Guenoc Valley AVA
  Guenoc Valley AVA
  The Guenoc Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Lake County, California, USA, about north of the town of Calistoga. Guenoc Valley AVA was the first American Viticultural Area designaion granted to an area with just a single winery....
  
  

• High Valley AVA
  High Valley AVA
  High Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the eastern part of Lake County, California. True to its name, the valley is situated on high elevations ranging from to , but it actually encompasses two distinct growing regions, the valley floor and the hillsides...
  
  
• Howell Mountain AVA
  Howell Mountain AVA
  The Howell Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA. Howell Mountain is located in the Vaca Mountains on the northeast side of Napa Valley around the town of Angwin, and overlooks the town of St. Helena, California....
  
  
• Knights Valley AVA
  Knights Valley AVA
  Knights Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California. One of Sonoma County's original five American Viticultural Areas , Knights Valley AVA was formally designated an American Viticultural Area on October 21, 1983. Knights Valley AVA includes approximately . Over 30...
  
  
• Los Carneros AVA
  Los Carneros AVA
  Los Carneros AVA is an American Viticultural Area which includes parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties in California, U.S.A.. It is located north of San Pablo Bay. The proximity to the cool fog and breezes from the bay makes the climate in Los Carneros cooler and more moderate than the wine...
  
  
• McDowell Valley AVA
  McDowell Valley AVA
  The McDowell Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeastern Mendocino County, California. The wine appellation is located on sloped bench land at elevations as high as above sea level that overlook the Russian River to the west. McDowell Valley is slightly cooler than the...
  
  
• Mendocino AVA
  Mendocino AVA
  The Mendocino AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Mendocino County, California. Within this larger appellation are several smaller AVAs, and applications are pending with the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to create new AVAs out of the...
  
  
• Mendocino Ridge AVA
  Mendocino Ridge AVA
  The Mendocino Ridge AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in coastal Mendocino County, California. The boundaries of the AVA include a range of coastal mountains adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. Although the area included in the AVA is over , the only land suitable for grape cultivation lies...
  
  
• Mt. Veeder AVA
  Mt. Veeder AVA
  Mount Veeder AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA among the Mayacamas Mountains. The boundaries of this appellation include with planted on thin volcanic soil. Many vineyards are found on the steep mountain face some as steep as 30°...
  
  
• Napa Valley AVA
  Napa Valley AVA
  Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States...
  
  
• Northern Sonoma AVA
  Northern Sonoma AVA
  The Northern Sonoma AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA. The appellation covers most of the county with the notable exceptions of the Los Carneros AVA and Sonoma Valley AVA wine regions, which are located in the southern portion of the county...
  
  
• Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA
  Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA
  The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA at the southern end of valley floor. The appellation's close proximity to San Pablo Bay results in a climate that is cooler and more moderate than any region in Napa Valley other than the Los...
  
  
• Oakville AVA
  Oakville AVA
  The Oakville AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA and centered around the town of Oakville, California. The appellation extends over a flat expanse of well drained gravel soil between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains...
  
  
• Potter Valley AVA
  Potter Valley AVA
  The Potter Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in northern Mendocino County, California centered around town of Potter Valley. The appellation is found east of the Redwood Valley AVA and has an elevation of around higher than surrounding areas...
  
  
• Red Hills Lake County AVA
  Red Hills Lake County AVA
  The Red Hills Lake County AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Lake County, California. The wine region lies along the southwestern shores of Clear Lake, separating Excelsior Valley to the east from Big Valley to the west. The hills lie at the foot of Mount Konocti, an extinct volcano....
  
  
• Redwood Valley AVA
  Redwood Valley AVA
  The Redwood Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Mendocino County, California. The earliest vineyards were planted in the valley by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. The valley sits at an elevation that is higher than the surrounding area. It is cooler in climate and...
  
  

• Rockpile AVA
• Russian River Valley AVA
  Russian River Valley AVA
  The Russian River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California. Centered around the Russian River, the Russian River Valley AVA accounts for about one-sixth of the total planted vineyard acreage in Sonoma County. The appellation was granted AVA status in 1983 and...
  
  
• Rutherford AVA
  Rutherford AVA
  The Rutherford AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA and centered around the town of Rutherford, California. The area is known for its unique terroir particularly with its Cabernet Sauvignon. The well drained soil of this area is composition of gravel, loam and sand...
  
  
• Solano County Green Valley AVA
  Solano County Green Valley AVA
  The Solano County Green Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Solano County, California. Located southeast of the Napa Valley AVA, Green Valley is about long and long. The valley is close to San Pablo Bay and thus has a maritime climate....
  
  
• Sonoma Coast AVA
  Sonoma Coast AVA
  The Sonoma Coast AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA containing more than , mostly along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. It extends from San Pablo Bay to the border with Mendocino County. The appellation is known for its cool climate and high rainfall...
  
  
• Sonoma Mountain AVA
  Sonoma Mountain AVA
  The Sonoma Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA. It is centered on the Sonoma Mountain landform in the Sonoma Mountains. The appellation includes the town of Glen Ellen, California and is bordered on the west by the Sonoma Valley AVA...
  
  
• Sonoma Valley AVA
  Sonoma Valley AVA
  The Sonoma Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, USA which centers on the Sonoma Valley in the southern portion of the county...
  
  
• Spring Mountain District AVA
  Spring Mountain District AVA
  The Spring Mountain District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Napa Valley AVA in California. Spring Mountain District AVA was officially established as an American Viticulture Area in 1993. Encompassed within its bounds are about , of which about are planted to vineyards. Given...
  
  
• St. Helena AVA
  St. Helena AVA
  The St. Helena AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley, centered around the town of St. Helena, California. The appellation covers along the flat narrow land towards the northern end of the valley between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. Charles Krug, one of pioneers of...
  
  
• Stags Leap District AVA
  Stags Leap District AVA
  The Stags Leap District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within the Napa Valley AVA north of the city of Napa, California. The Stags Leap District was the first appellation to be designated an AVA based on the unique terroir characteristics of its soil...
  
  
• Suisun Valley AVA
  Suisun Valley AVA
  The Suisun Valley AVA, is an American Viticultural Area in Solano County, California, at the southern end of the Coast Range bordering the Napa Valley region. It was established as a wine appellation of origin on December 27, 1982.- Geography :...
  
  
• Wild Horse Valley AVA
  Wild Horse Valley AVA
  The Wild Horse Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area whose borders overlap both Napa County and Solano County, California and is partially contained within the Napa Valley AVA. The appellation's southerly location results in more hours of sunshine than other locations in Napa Valley or...
  
  
• Yorkville Highlands AVA
  Yorkville Highlands AVA
  The Yorkville Highlands AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern Mendocino County, California. The Yorkville Highlands separate Sonoma County's Alexander Valley AVA from Mendocino County's Anderson Valley AVA. The soil in the Yorkville Highlands is rocky with a high gravel...
  
  
• Yountville AVA
  Yountville AVA
  The Yountville AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA and centered around the town Yountville, California. The town's founder George Calvert Yount planted the first vineyard in this area around 1836. Yountville AVA is one of the coolest wine regions in Napa Valley,...