The
federal government late last year approved the establishment
of the San Bernabe American Viticultural Area (AVA), located
in southern Monterey County. Delicato Family Vineyards applied
for the 24,796-acre area that includes its famed San Bernabe
Vineyard property.This is the "the world's most diverse" vineyard, according to Delicato. Almost two dozen grape varieties are grown there, including: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah/shiraz, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, barbera, gewürztraminer, white riesling, lagrein and valdiguié. More than 5,580 acres are planted to wine grapes, which is divided into 135 unique vineyard blocks, each farmed individually to maximize grape quality.
The new appellation is framed by the Salinas River on the
east, the Santa Lucia Range on the west, San Lucas in the south
and Pine Canyon in the north. Local lore has it that early
Spanish settlers in the late 1700s probably made wine from
the region's
grapes when the area was called Canada de San Bernabe more
than 200 years ago.
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