Arroyo Grande Valley AVA

The Arroyo Grande Valley AVA is one of four distinct AVAs in San Luis Obispo County, along with Edna Valley, York Mountain, and Paso Robles.

Together the four AVAs comprise over 600,000 acres of planted vineyards and over 200 wineries for locals and visitors to explore and enjoy.

Of the four AVAs, the Arroyo Grande Valley is located the farthest south in San Luis Obispo County with its southern border only eleven miles from the Santa Barbara County line. The AVA predominately grows Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, but is also known for their Zinfandel and Syrah.

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WINE TASTING IN ARROYO GRANDE VALLEY

Due to COVID-19, some wineries may not be open for tasting or have different hours than listed below. Given the rapidly changing landscape of rules and regulations, please contact wineries directly to ensure you are able to visit, and make reservations as necessary.

There are many incredible wines that have come out of the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA, and several of the wineries have tasting rooms on their properties that are open to the public for wine tasting and events.

To help plan your next trip to the Arroyo Grande Valley, we have curated a list of the vineyard tasting rooms for you to enjoy and explore the world class wines crafted right here in SLO County.

If you can’t make it to the vineyards check out Arroyo Grande’s Food & Drink Page to see the wine bars, off-site tasting rooms, and restaurants that feature Arroyo Grande Valley wines!

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VINEYARD TASTING ROOMS

Are we missing a winery, or have outdated information? Let us know by emailing hello@sanluisobispoguide.com

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TERROIR PROFILE

Although the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA is defined by its lower temperatures and cold ocean winds, it is the maritime fog that affects the area in different ways.

The valley itself sits in a northwest position, with the lower half located closer to the ocean and the upper half found higher in the surrounding hills.

The entire region experiences the cold air coming off the Pacific Ocean, but only the vineyards on the lower half spend most of their day in the fog and those grapes grown inland amongst the hills are protected from the damper climate by their altitude.

The cool air and fog in the lower half of the AVA allow the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes the area is known for to flourish, and develop a rich character without losing acidity.

Meanwhile the grapes grown in the higher altitudes experience a slightly longer growing season, making way for Zinfandel and Syrah grapes to be grown with the perfect balance between ripeness and acidity.