San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo County is unique coastal wine region located in Central California just north of Santa Barbara County. While the area does have some history of pre-prohibition wine production modern winemaking here largely began in the early 1970’s and grew rather modestly until around the turn of the century. Today San Luis Obispo County has blossomed into the the third largest wine producing region in California behind only Sonoma and Napa Valley. Wine grapes are the second largest crop grown in "SLO" behind only strawberries. Edna Valley & Arroyo Grande Valley are two of the region's most notable cool climate sub-appellations, both of which are located near the Pacific Ocean and receive significant moderating influence from the sea. Varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive here and often produce wines of great balance and freshness. Paso Robles is a large and well-known warm climate sub-appellation located near the northern edge of the county. Here Rhone, Spanish, and Bordeaux style wines dominate due to the long growing season with hot days and cool nights. San Luis Obispo County is truly one of California's greatest and most varied viticultural regions.