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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Growers and wineries in the Big Valley and Kelsey Bench areas of Lake County are working together to submit two separate American Viticultural Area (AVA) applications to the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau in Washington, D.C.
The proposed Big Valley AVA will include all of Big Valley.
The boundaries are Highland Springs Road and Manning Creek on the west, the shores of Clear Lake on the north, Cole Creek along the base of Mount Konocti to Konocti Road on the East, and Bell Hill Road to the south.
The proposed Kelsey Bench area starts at Konocti Road in Kelseyville and extends southeast to Bottle Rock Road and Cole Creek Road along the Red Hills AVA’s eastern boundary.
It follows the eastern shore of Kelsey Creek south to the bottom of Kelsey Creek Drive. The western boundary follows Adobe Creek Road to pick up the boundary line for the proposed Big Valley AVA at Bell Hill Road to the point of beginning at Konocti Road in Kelseyville.
The U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau, a component of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, defines an American Viticultural Area as a designated winegrape growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with specific and clearly-defined boundaries.
The AVA system has been in place since the 1980s, and had recognized more than 200 regions as of January 2011.
The purpose behind AVAs is to identify the unique growing characteristics in a certain area, including weather, soil, history and microclimates. AVAs are listed on premium wines and are used by wineries to help market unique flavor profiles of the various winegrape varieties grown in that region.
An AVA specifies a geographical location from which at least 85 percent of the grapes are grown used to make that wine.
“In my opinion, the project is long overdue,” said David Weiss, Big Valley grower and chairman of the Big Valley, Kelsey Bench AVA Steering Committee.
“We have all seen the success of the Red Hills and High Valley appellations in helping build the Lake County brand and our reputation as a premium winegrape region. Big Valley and Kelsey Bench represent our original grape-growing acreage where local growers including the Dorns, Holdenrieds, Lyons and Euteniers first planted winegrapes,” Weiss added.
Funding for the project was provided by growers, wineries and the Lake County Winegrape Commission, all of whom have supported previous Lake County AVA projects.
Growers in both areas have donated their time and resources, helping to supply the information needed to put the two projects together.
“The most challenging part to these AVA projects is setting the boundaries, and that involves more than growers working together. History, unique soils and weather; all must be identified as the same in each AVA,” said Rick Gunier, whose firm was hired to do the research and submit the two applications.
Gunier and others held several meetings over the last three years, collecting and incorporating all of the information needed to define the two regions.
“These boundaries are a major part of what defines a region and the process took months of research as well as many grower meetings and interviews,” said Gunier.
Soil and weather experts were used to accumulate the information as well as verify that all of the data was correct.
“The Big Valley and Kelsey Bench are Lake County’s oldest winegrape growing regions,” said Gunier. “There are already excellent wines coming from both. Now what we need to do is get the word out so that people know.”
A more detailed definition of the boundaries, along with other supplemental information can be obtained by contacting Project Manager Terry Dereniuk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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