New California Appellation Created

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Jeff Morgan
Posted: January 21, 1999

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has created a new California wine appellation called San Francisco Bay, which encompasses six counties and the city of San Francisco. Included are San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and parts of Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. The new appellation contains some 6,000 acres of grapes and 39 wineries.

While soil and climatic conditions can be diverse in the region, the BATF considers the cooling influence of San Francisco Bay a consolidating factor. Wineries can choose to use the new appellation on their labels as long as 85 percent of the grapes used in a wine are grown within the appellation borders.

Even though San Francisco is an urban area, according to a BATF statement, it was included in the appellation in deference to its place in California wine history.

Other recent decisions on California appellations:

January 13, 1999
California Coastal Appellation Rejected by BATF

November 12, 1997
New Appellation in California's Mendocino County

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