- Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
Infobox Wine Region
name = Santa Cruz Mountains AVA
caption =
official name =
other name =
type =American Viticultural Area
year = 1981 [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#27:1.0.1.1.7.3.41.11 Code of Federal Regulations. "§ 9.31 Santa Cruz Mountains."] Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas. Retrieved Jan. 4, 2008.]
wine years =
country =USA
part of = California
similar =
sub regions =Ben Lomond Mountain AVA
season =
climate region =
heat units =
precipitation =
soil =
total size =
planted = convert|1500|acre|km2|0Appellation America (2007). [http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-region/Santa-Cruz-Mountains.html "Santa Cruz Mountains (AVA): Appellation Description"] . Retrieved Jan. 4, 2008.]
vineyards =
grapes =Cabernet Franc ,Cabernet Sauvignon ,Carignane ,Chardonnay ,Dolcetto ,Grenache ,Malbec ,Malvasia ,Merlot ,Mondeuse ,Mourvedre ,Nebbiolo ,Petit Verdot ,Petite Sirah ,Pinot Noir ,Sangiovese ,Sauvignon Blanc ,Syrah ,Viognier ,Zinfandel
varietals =
wineries = 76
wine produced =
designation =
comments =The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is an
American Viticultural Area centered around theSanta Cruz Mountains and three counties inCalifornia : Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. The mountains, thePacific Ocean , and the nearbySan Francisco Bay have a wide ranging affect on theappellation , creating severalmicroclimate s in the region-depending on the elevation of the land and on which side of the mountain it is own. Vineyards in this area have been severely affected byPierce's disease in the past.Geography
The region bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west [cite web
title = Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association Web Site
url=http://www.scmwa.com/history.htm
accessdate = 2006-05-27 ] extending through Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.Wines
The Santa Cruz Mountains are home to more than 70 wineries producing
Chardonnay s,Zinfandel s,Cabernet Sauvignon s, as well asPinot Noir s,Port s and other varietals and blends. Some of the oldest wineries in California are in this region. Two wineries from the Santa Cruz Mountain region participated in the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting with the 1973David Bruce Winery Chardonnay placing 10th in the white wine tasting and the 1971Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon placing 5th in the red wine tasting. [ G. Tabers "The Judgment of Paris" pg 305 Simon & Schuster 2005 ISBN 0743247515 ]Other notable wineries in the appellation include
Bonny Doon Vineyard ,Byington Vineyard ,Kathryn Kennedy Winery ,Mountain Winery , andSavannah-Chanelle Vineyards .References
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