Five Fast Facts about the Edna Valley AVA

Base map via the TTB AVA Explorer

I am teaching a wine and food pairing class this afternoon, which just happens to feature a lovely Pinot Noir from the Edna Valley. As such, today is a great day to look at five fast facts about the Edna Valley AVA!

#1: It’s named after a town: The Edna Valley AVA—located in California’s San Luis Obispo County—is named after the rural town of Edna (population: 193). Edna was founded in the 1880s by a dairyman Edgar Steele.

#2: Time and place: The Edna Valley AVA was established in 1982 as a sub-appellation of California’s larger Central Coast AVA. At this time, it was the first sub-appellation to be established in San Luis Obispo County. Other AVAs in San Luis Obispo later followed, including several which are much better-known than the Edna Valley; these include the Paso Robles AVA (and her 12 sub-appellations), the Arroyo Grande AVA , York Mountain, and the Templeton Gap. The Edna AVA became a sub-appellation of the San Luis Obispo Coast (SLO Coast) AVA once it was established in 2022. If you are hanging out in the Edna Valley AVA, you can practically wave “hello” to your friends at Cal Poly and drive the 5 miles to Pismo Beach in about 10 minutes. The Edna Valley AVA is often discussed in tandem with its neighbor-to-the-immediate south, the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA.

#3: It’s a cool-climate paradise: The Edna Valley AVA extends along a low-lying northwest-southeast canyon tucked into Santa Lucia Mountains.  The western edge of the Edna Valley AVA is located just about 7 miles from the coast and is situated at the southeast end of the Los Osos Valley. The Los Osos Valley extends all the way to Morro Bay and helps to keep the area cool—and only moderately sunny—by siphoning an influx of ocean breezes and maritime fog down into Edna Valley. Combined, these influences provide the Edna Valley AVA with an overall cool climate and a super-long growing season (some say it has the longest growing season of all of California).

#4: Agriculture is well-established: Many successful agricultural endeavors were established in the Edna Valley in the 19^th century. These included some viticulture (Mission grapes) as well as dairy farms, orchards (apple, pear, and citrus) and oat and barley farms. These businesses thrived well into the 1970s, when vinifera-based viticulture and winemaking caught on.

#5: Come for the Pinot, stay for the Chardonnay: Accounting for just over 30% of total vineyard plantings, Pinot Noir is the most widely planted grape variety in the Edna Valley AVA. Chardonnay—planted in about 28% of the vineyards—comes in second place. Other notable varieties include Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Pinot Gris, and Viognier. This is a gorgeous area for wine tourism and tasting (and don’t forget a quick detour to the beach). Welcoming wineries located in the Edna Valley AVA include Tolosa Winery, Saucelito Canyon, and Wolff Vineyards.

References/for more information:

• https://winehistoryproject.org/edna-valley-ava/
• Edna Valley Final Rule TTB

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of San Marcos, Texas… missjane@prodigy.net