- Sta. Rita Hills AVA
Infobox Wine Region
name = Sta. Rita Hills AVA
caption =
official name =
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type =American Viticultural Area
year = 2001, amended 2005 [http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr;sid=bff700d0bbb2a632948b70fe7e91d7d4;rgn=div5;view=text;node=27%3A1.0.1.1.7;idno=27;cc=ecfr#27:1.0.1.1.7.3.41.142 Code of Federal Regulations. "§ 9.162 Sta. Rita Hills."] Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas. Retrieved Jan. 24, 2008.]
wine years =
country =USA
part of = California,Central Coast AVA ,Santa Ynez Valley AVA
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total size = convert|30720|acre|ha|0Wine Institute (2008). [http://www.iwineinstitute.com/ava/avabystate.asp "American Viticultural Areas by State"] . Retrieved Jan. 25, 2008.]
planted = convert|1700|acre|ha|0Appellation America (2007). [http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-region/Sta.-Rita-Hills.html "Sta. Rita Hills (AVA): Appellation Description"] . Retrieved Jan. 25, 2008.]
vineyards =
grapes =Barbera ,Chardonnay ,Dolcetto ,Dornfelder ,Grenache ,Mission ,Pinot Blanc ,Pinot Gris ,Pinot Noir ,Riesling ,Sauvignon Blanc ,Syrah ,Viognier ,Zinfandel
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comments =The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is an
American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County,California . From its creation in 2001 through 2006, thewine appellation was officially named Santa Rita Hills AVA. The formal name change was the result of a protest by and subsequent negotiations withVina Santa Rita , a very largeChilean wine producer that was concerned about the AVA name diluting its internationalbrand value. The name change took effect onJanuary 5 ,2006 , with a year long period for producers in the AVA to change theirwine label s.Geography
Sta. Rita Hills is part of the larger
Santa Ynez Valley AVA , located between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton with thePurisima Hills on the north and theSanta Rosa Hills on the South. The wine region is exposed tofog and coastal breezes from the nearbyPacific Ocean . The hills run east to west, which allows cool ocean breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean to enter the valley created by the hills and create a coolmicro-climate . When combined with the rocky nature of the area, the Santa Rita Hills area is well-suited for the growing ofPinot Noir grapes, which tend to do well in cool climates with rocky soil. The region is best known forChardonnay , Pinot Noir, andSyrah varietal wines.Wineries
Several wineries are located in and around the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, including
Babcock Winery ,Melville Vineyards & Winery ,Sanford Winery & Vineyards ,Sea Smoke Vineyards ,Brewer-Clifton andFiddlehead Cellars . Wineries and locations in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA were featured in the2004 U.S. film "Sideways ".External links
* [http://www.sbcountywines.com/ Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association Website]
* [http://www.staritahills.com/ Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance Website]References
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