Political district or AVA area in the north of the Central Coast region in California south of San Francisco. There is significant agriculture here, which is why the area is also known as the "salad bowl of America". The town of Monterey was the birthplace of author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), whose most important novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is set in Monterey's working-class orchard environment. The area covers the Carmel Valley and Salinas Valley and is divided into the subzones of Arroyo Seco, Carmel Valley, Chalone, Hames Valley, Monterey, San Bernabe, San Lucas and Santa Lucia Highlands. There are very different climatic conditions from cool near the coast in the Carmel Valley area to sunny and warm inland in the small Chalone area. Due to the low rainfall, artificial irrigation is required, which is mainly done by means of the Salinas River flowing underground.
Vineyards expanded explosively from the 1960s onwards, covering over 16,000 hectares on sandy and gravelly clay alluvial soils. The main white wine varieties are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Bl anc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Sémillon and Viognier, and the main red wine varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec (Cot), Petite Sirah (Durif), Sangiovese, Valdiguié and Zinfandel. The grapes are largely sold to other areas as a base for Coastal Wines. Well-known producers are Boisset, Carmel Road (Jackson Family Wines), Chalone Vineyard, Jekel Vineyard, Kobza, Paul Masson, Monterey Peninsula Winery, Morgan Winery, Talbott Vineyards, Ventana.
Image: Wine Institute of California
