Monterey AVA

Monterey is an American Viticultural Area located in eastern Monterey County, California. It was recognized on July 16, 1984 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by the Monterey Winegrowers Council to establish the "Monterey" viticultural area. It is within the multi-county Central Coast AVA encompassing about 100 mi from the northern shore of Monterey Bay to its southern point near the vicinity of Paso Robles, California. Approximately 40000 acre of wine grapes are currently cultivated in the Monterey AVA.

Monterey AVA encompasses portions of the Carmel and Salinas river valleys, and contains five smaller American Viticultural Areas. The northern portion is a cool growing region, but one with a very long growing season. Daytime temperatures rarely exceed 75 °F in most parts of the region, although the southern part of the Monterey AVA reaches 100 degrees at times condusive to warm-climate varietals. The soil is sandy and most regions require extensive irrigation from the Salinas River.

Over 50% of the grapes grown in the Monterey AVA are chardonnay. In the northern area, Riesling and Pinot noir are popular, while in the south, Bordeaux varietals are most often grown.