San Antonio Valley Vintners and Growers Association

Regional Map

Map of San Antonio Valley

The San Antonio Valley…In the Heart of Old California

In the southernmost part of Monterey County, lies a highland valley in the Santa Lucia Range, fourteen miles from the Pacific Ocean. This, the San Antonio Valley, was formed by the watershed of the San Antonio River and is replete with shaly loam and calcareous rich soils. The climate of warmer daytime temperatures and cooler nighttime temperatures, often with a 50 degree variance, are a direct effect of the elevation of the valley. Occasionally, morning fog will drift across the valley from the 5720 acre Lake San Antonio. Viticulture was introduced here in 1771 by the Padres at the San Antonio Mission and is today continued by small family owned vineyards and boutique wineries. Grapes grown here achieve full, rich fruit flavor, color and balance.

Please use the navigation bar above to visit our vineyards and wineries for MONTEREY PREMIUM GRAPES & WINES .

What’s New

SUMMER PARTY...AUGUST 2ND, 2008 @ MAGPIE VINEYARDS

Wednesday Jul 30

The Annual Summer Party will be held at Magpie Vineyards, the home of Steve & Debra Cobb. Please contact Debb for additional information and to RSVP at DCobb@meyernet.com.

Party begins @ 4PM
Dinner at 6PM
Bring a bottle of wine or two to share!

2008 Officers Appointed

Thursday Feb 07

At the February 6th Board of Directors meeting appointments were made for the 2008 SAVVGA Officers. Congratulations to:

Steve Cobb-Magpie Vineyard, President

Jon Gerard-JP Land and Livestock, Vice President

Mick Gilles-Road’s End Vineyard, Treasurer

Pam Gill-Lockwood Valley Vineyard, Secretary

The next board meeting will be held on March 5th, 2008

Election Results

Saturday Dec 22

Thank you for your responses to the ballots. We received 19 out if 25.

Congratulations to the following members elected to the Board:

Marky Dean, Bill Pierce, Mickey Gilles and Jon Gerard. The alternate member is Brenda Wolgamott.

Have a Happy Holiday.

Pamela Gill
SAVVGA Secretary

FOR SAVVGA PHOTOS ~ GO TO VINEYARDS TAB AND SEE "YOUR SAVVGA PHOTOS"

Saturday Jun 02

SAN ANTONIO VALLEY GRANTED OFFICIAL APPELLATION STATUS

Wednesday Jun 21

Becomes Monterey County’s Ninth A.V.A.

“We are pleased to announce the issuance of our long awaited AVA status,” states Steven Yates, president of the San Antonio Valley Vintners and Growers Association. “We have always known of the uniqueness of our valley as a grape growing area and have pursued official recognition for the past two years. The establishment of the San Antonio Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) by the Treasury Department has formalized our status as one of Monterey County’s premiere winegrowing districts.” The San Antonio Valley AVA was published in the Federal Register as Rule 46 on June 8th 2006.

The San Antonio Valley is located on the Central Coast of California in Southern Monterey County. The valley is tucked into the Santa Lucia Mountains, north of Paso Robles and halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Historic Jolon Road, now a part of The Monterey County Wine Corridor, meanders through the San Antonio Valley and provides a scenic wine country detour off of Highway 101.

The San Antonio Valley currently has over 800 acres of vineyards offering more than 20 varietals. The grapes grown in this warm highland valley, elevation 980 to 1300 feet, enjoy sunny, dry days and evenings cooled by breezes from the near-by Pacific. The early morning fog from Lake San Antonio contributes to the prime growing conditions enhancing the bold varietal characteristics found in the grapes and wine. Because of its warmer climate and its gravelly loam and clay soils, the valley is able to produce exceptional Rhone and Bordeaux varietals.

“This is an exciting time for the growers and winemakers of the San Antonio Valley. Our valley’s unique characteristics produce truly outstanding wines – many crafted by small, limited production wineries that are fast gaining recognition across the nation,” commented Elsbeth Wetherill of Escafeld Vineyards.

While the Franciscan padres planted grapes here in the late 1700s, the modern era was ushered in by the late John Gill of Lockwood Valley Vineyards. He planted the first commercial grape vines and founded the original grower’s association in 1997. Today the San Antonio Valley Vintners and Growers Association is comprised of more than 5 wineries and 20 growers. “This AVA is a great tribute to Johnny Gill. He gave all of us the vision and personal encouragement to follow in his footsteps. To be now recognized as an AVA validates the uniqueness of our climate and our regional attributes and is a testimonial to our passion,” commented Brenda Wolgamott of Marin’s Vineyard.

“The approval of the San Antonio Valley AVA gives consumers yet another “sense of place” when making their purchasing decisions,” commented Rhonda Motil, Executive Director of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association. “Many wine consumers assume that Monterey County is solely a cool climate area due to Monterey Bay’s influence. San Antonio Valley’s AVA helps to further differentiate our wine region with expanded warmer climate Rhone and Bordeaux varietals, once again highlighting the diversity of quality wines coming from Monterey Wine Country.”

Yates added, “We are very fortunate here in the San Antonio Valley. Monterey County has incorporated us into the scenic wine corridor and this portends well for development of wineries and tasting rooms as well as the appurtenant industries that service visitors. We have experienced growth in both vineyard planting as well as winery investments. The future is bright and we are very optimistic about our prospects.” To contact SAVVGA or for more information, please visit www.savvga.com or email vineyards@inreach.com.

Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association (MCVGA) brings together the talents and resources of members, partners and our community in order to promote and support our leadership in the art, the science and the business of wine. Founded in 1974, MCVGA is a non-profit organization representing over 85 vintners and growers in Monterey County. For a listing of members and additional information on MCVGA, please visit www.montereywines.org.

Wines from the San Antonio Valley AVA will be featured at several upcoming events sponsored by MCVGA. Wine enthusiasts won’t want to miss the debut of many SAV wines at the 15th Annual Winemakers’ Celebration on August 11th or the 11th Annual Great Wine Escape Weekend from November 9-11th, 2007.