VASCM: SCM/CC appellations

[Ed Muns]

SCM is unavoidably a sub-AVA of the California AVA.  California is even more
diverse than Central Coast.  Wineries who choose to blend SCM grapes with
grapes from Central Coast are required to label it "California".  They would
like the option of labeling it "Central Coast" instead.  This has no effect
on wineries who produce wine that is labeled SCM or San Mateo County.
"Central Coast" is no more meaningless than "California" as a larger AVA to
SCM.

However, I think there are other reasons that SCM wineries may not want to
be included in the Central Coast AVA.  For example, by not being part of the
Central Coast AVA and therefore being forced to use California on the label
of blended wine will "encourage" wineries to maximize the use of SCM fruit
in SCM-labeled wine.  That maximizes the amount of SCM-labeled wine on the
market and is probably seen as a plus by most of us.

Regards,
Ed
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Ed Muns
Muns Vineyard - www.munsvineyard.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/munsvineyard


Josh Beck wrote:
> I feel that AVAs ought to be based on similarities in 
> terroir. The Santa Cruz Mountains is already a pretty large 
> and quite diverse AVA, but it generally features mountainous, 
> rocky, steep sites. I don't think it shares much in common 
> with, say, Paso Roblems or Santa Ynez Valley, and I don't 
> think that inclusion of SCM in the already dilute and pretty 
> meaningless Central Coast designation would help either AVA.
> 
> We currently bottle wines under Santa Cruz Mountains AVA and 
> San Mateo County AVA and I can't see a situation where we 
> would rather label our wines as central coast.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Josh Beck
> Assistant Winemaker
> http://www.rhysvineyards.com