Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 46 / Wednesday, March 9, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 13157 

of distilled spirits and malt beverages. 

That final rule, which also reorganized 

those regulations, published as T.D. 

TTB–176 in the Federal Register of 

February 9, 2022, at 87 FR 7526. The 

final rule contained several minor 

inadvertent, nonsubstantive errors in 

the preamble discussion of, and the 

regulatory text for, 27 CFR part 5, 

Labeling and Advertising of Distilled 

Spirits. 

First, in the final rule’s preamble, in 

the Derivation Table for part 5, subpart 

I, the entry for § 5.153 should read 

‘‘[reserved]’’ instead of ‘‘New.’’ In the 

related notice of proposed rulemaking 

(see Notice No. 176, 83 FR 60562, 

November 26, 2018), TTB proposed a 

new section, which it decided not to 

finalize, as described in the final rule. 

Second, and related to that error, in the 

final rule’s regulatory amendments, the 

table of contents for part 5 lists the 

section heading for § 5.153 as originally 

proposed (‘‘Diluted spirits’’) instead of 

listing that section as ‘‘reserved’’ as 

finalized in T.D. TTB–176. (The final 

rule correctly shows § 5.153 as 

‘‘[Reserved]’’ in the regulatory text of 

part 5) Third, in § 5.203, which lists the 

authorized standards of fill for distilled 

spirits, two paragraphs were designated 

as paragraph (a)(1)(v)—one setting out a 

standard of fill of 750 mL and the other 

a standard of fill of 720 mL. 

The described errors were 

inadvertent, and their correction does 

not alter the intended meaning of any 

regulatory section contained in the final 

rule. 

Corrections 

In the final rule document numbered 

FR Doc. 2022–00841 beginning on page 

7526 in the Federal Register issue of 

Wednesday, February 9, 2022, make the 

following corrections: 

In the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section: 

■ 1. On page 7575, at the bottom of the 

second column, in the Derivation Table 

for 27 CFR part 5, subpart I, in the table 

column titled ‘‘Are derived from current 

section:’’, in the entry for § 5.153, the 

word ‘‘New’’ is corrected to read 

‘‘[reserved]’’. 

In the Regulatory Amendments 

section: 

■ 2. On page 7579, in the third column, 

in the table of contents for 27 CFR part 

5, subpart I, in the entry for § 5.153, the 

phrase ‘‘Diluted spirits’’ is corrected to 

read ‘‘[Reserved]’’. 

■ 3. On page 7602, in the third column, 

in § 5.203, paragraph (a)(1) is corrected 

to read as follows: 

§ 5.203 [Corrected] 

(a) * * * 

(1) Containers other than cans. For 

containers other than cans described in 

paragraph (a)(2) of this section— 

(i) 1.8 Liters. 

(ii) 1.75 Liters. 

(iii) 1.00 Liter. 

(iv) 900 mL. 

(v) 750 mL. 

(vi) 720 mL. 

(vii) 700 mL. 

(viii) 375 mL. 

(ix) 200 mL. 

(x) 100 mL. 

(xi) 50 mL. 

* * * * * 

Signed: March 2, 2022. 

Mary G. Ryan, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2022–04893 Filed 3–8–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 

Bureau 

27 CFR Part 9 

[Docket No. TTB–2020–0013; T.D. TTB–178; 

Ref: Notice No. 198] 

RIN 1513–AC62 

Expansion of the Clarksburg 

Viticultural Area 

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, Treasury. 

ACTION: Final rule; Treasury decision. 

SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax 

and Trade Bureau (TTB) is expanding 

the approximately 64,640-acre 

‘‘Clarksburg’’ viticultural area by 

approximately 27,945 acres. The 

Clarksburg viticultural area is located in 

Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties, 

in California, and the expansion area is 

located in Sacramento and Solano 

Counties. The established Clarksburg 

viticultural area and the expansion area 

are not located within any other 

established viticultural area. TTB 

designates viticultural areas to allow 

vintners to better describe the origin of 

their wines and to allow consumers to 

better identify wines they may 

purchase. 

DATES: This final rule is effective April 

8, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen A. Thornton, Regulations and 

Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco 

Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street 

NW, Box 12, Washington, DC 20005; 

phone 202–453–1039, ext. 175. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on Viticultural Areas 

TTB Authority 

Section 105(e) of the Federal Alcohol 

Administration Act (FAA Act), 27 

U.S.C. 205(e), authorizes the Secretary 

of the Treasury to prescribe regulations 

for the labeling of wine, distilled spirits, 

and malt beverages. The FAA Act 

provides that these regulations should, 

among other things, prohibit consumer 

deception and the use of misleading 

statements on labels and ensure that 

labels provide the consumer with 

adequate information as to the identity 

and quality of the product. The Alcohol 

and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 

(TTB) administers the FAA Act 

pursuant to section 1111(d) of the 

Homeland Security Act of 2002, 

codified at 6 U.S.C. 531(d). The 

Secretary has delegated the functions 

and duties in the administration and 

enforcement of these provisions to the 

TTB Administrator through Treasury 

Order 120–01, dated December 10, 2013 

(superseding Treasury Order 120–01, 

dated January 24, 2003). 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 

part 4) authorizes TTB to establish 

definitive viticultural areas and regulate 

the use of their names as appellations of 

origin on wine labels and in wine 

advertisements. Part 9 of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR part 9) sets forth 

standards for the preparation and 

submission to TTB of petitions for the 

establishment or modification of 

American viticultural areas (AVAs) and 

lists the approved AVAs. 

Definition 

Section 4.25(e)(1)(i) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(1)(i)) defines 

a viticultural area for American wine as 

a delimited grape-growing region having 

distinguishing features as described in 

part 9 of the regulations and, once 

approved, a name and a delineated 

boundary codified in part 9 of the 

regulations. These designations allow 

vintners and consumers to attribute a 

given quality, reputation, or other 

characteristic of a wine made from 

grapes grown in an area to the wine’s 

geographic origin. The establishment of 

AVAs allows vintners to describe more 

accurately the origin of their wines to 

consumers and helps consumers to 

identify wines they may purchase. 

Establishment of an AVA is neither an 

approval nor an endorsement by TTB of 

the wine produced in that area. 

Requirements 

Section 4.25(e)(2) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(2)) outlines 

the procedure for proposing an AVA 

and allows any interested party to 


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13158 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 46 / Wednesday, March 9, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

1 48 FR 2759. 

petition TTB to establish a grapegrowing region as an AVA. Petitioners 

may use the same process to request 

changes to established AVAs. Section 

9.12 of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 

9.12) prescribes standards for petitions 

to modify established AVAs. Petitions to 

expand an established AVA must 

include the following: 

• Evidence that the area within the 

proposed expansion area boundary is 

nationally or locally known by the name 

of the established AVA; 

• An explanation of the basis for 

defining the boundary of the proposed 

expansion area; 

• A narrative description of the 

features of the proposed expansion area 

that affect viticulture, such as climate, 

geology, soils, physical features, and 

elevation, that make the proposed 

expansion area similar to the 

established AVA and distinguish it from 

adjacent areas outside the established 

AVA boundary; 

• The appropriate United States 

Geological Survey (USGS) map(s) 

showing the location of the proposed 

expansion area, with the boundary of 

the proposed expansion area clearly 

drawn thereon; and 

• A detailed narrative description of 

the proposed expansion area boundary 

based on USGS map markings. 

Petition To Expand the Clarksburg AVA 

TTB received a petition from James 

Reamer of Reamer Farms vineyard, 

submitted on behalf of himself and 

other wine industry members, 

proposing to expand the established 

‘‘Clarksburg’’ AVA. The Clarksburg 

AVA (27 CFR 9.95) was established by 

T.D. ATF–166, which published in the 

Federal Register on January 23, 1984 

(49 FR 2758). The Clarksburg AVA 

covers approximately 64,640 acres in 

Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties 

in California. The Clarksburg AVA and 

the proposed expansion area are not 

located within any other AVA. 

Although the established Clarksburg 

AVA does contain the established 

Merritt Island AVA (27 CFR 9.68), the 

proposed expansion area is not adjacent 

to the Merritt Island AVA and would 

not affect the boundaries of that AVA. 

The proposed expansion area is 

adjacent to the southern portion of the 

established AVA and entirely 

encompasses Grand Island and Ryer 

Island, which together cover 

approximately 27,945 acres. The 

petitioner states that within the 

proposed expansion area there are 350 

acres of grapevines on Grand Island and 

three vineyards on Ryer Island. 

According to the petition, the soils, 

climate, and topography of the proposed 

expansion area are similar to those of 

the established Clarksburg AVA. 

T.D. ATF–166 describes the soils of 

the Clarksburg AVA as poorly drained 

clay and clay loam soils, but provides 

no additional information about the 

soils of the surrounding regions except 

to note that viticulture to the west of the 

AVA is made impossible due to the 

combination of soils and flooding, and 

that the soils to the south of the AVA 

contain poorly drained organic and 

mineral soils. However, the expansion 

petition provides more detailed 

information about the soils of the 

Clarksburg AVA and the surrounding 

regions. The expansion petition states 

that the lands within the Clarksburg 

AVA and the proposed expansion area 

fall into two groups: The alluvial fan– 

basin group and the flood plain–basin– 

blackswamp group. These landform 

groups influenced the development of 

the soils in the AVA. The alluvial fan– 

basin group lands are found mostly in 

the western portion of the Clarksburg 

AVA and include soils of the Lang, 

Laugenour, Maria, Merritt, Sycamore, 

Tyndall, and Valdez series, as well as 

Egbert, Omni, Sacramento, and Willows 

soils. The eastern portion of the 

Clarksburg AVA is characterized by 

flood plain–basin–blackswamp 

landforms. Soils commonly found in 

this region include the Columbia, 

Consumnes, Lang, Laugenour, Sailboat, 

and Valpac series, as well as Clear Lake, 

Dierssen, and Tinnin soils. 

Soils of both landform groups share 

several characteristics, including low-tomoderate levels of organic material, 

poor to somewhat-poor drainage, and a 

combination of silt, clay, sand, and 

loam. Because of the poor drainage 

quality of the soils, a well-placed and 

maintained system of ditches and canals 

is necessary, as are tile drains in some 

locations. Ridges in the vine rows called 

berms also allow for better drainage and 

are common features in both the AVA 

and the proposed expansion area. 

Additionally, vineyard owners often use 

rootstocks with greater-than-average 

tolerances of wet soils in order to limit 

the risk of significant root dieback and 

root diseases. 

The proposed expansion area contains 

both flood plain–basin–blackswamp 

landforms and alluvial fan–basin 

landforms. Grand Island, in the eastern 

portion of the proposed expansion area, 

consists mostly of flood plain–basin– 

blackswamp landforms. Soils found in 

both Grand Island and the Clarksburg 

AVA include the Consumnes, Egbert, 

Laugenour, and Sailboat series. Ryer 

Island, in the western portion of the 

proposed expansion area, contains 

alluvial fan–basin landforms. Soils of 

the Egbert, Sacramento, and Valdez 

series are found in both the Clarksburg 

AVA and Ryer Island. 

By contrast, one of the alluvial fan– 

basin landform soils found in the 

proposed expansion area and the 

Clarksburg AVA are found in the 

regions to the east and south, outside of 

the established AVA and the proposed 

expansion area. These regions contain a 

type of marshland soil called Rindge 

mucky silt loam, which is not found in 

either the Clarksburg AVA or the 

proposed expansion area. Furthermore, 

the soils to the east and south contain 

greater concentrations of organic matter. 

To the west of the proposed expansion 

area and the Clarksburg AVA, the 

common soils include the Capay and 

Pescadero series, which are not found in 

either the proposed expansion area or 

the AVA. 

T.D. ATF–166 included precipitation 

as a distinguishing feature of the 

Clarksburg AVA, stating that the AVA 

receives an average of 16 inches of rain 

annually. The regions to the north and 

east were described as having higher 

annual rainfall amounts, while the 

regions to the south and west have 

lower annual amounts. T.D. ATF–166 

also briefly discussed temperature, 

noting that Sacramento, which is north 

of the Clarksburg AVA, is generally 8 to 

10 degrees warmer than the AVA is in 

the summer. The proposed expansion 

petition includes information about the 

average annual rainfall amounts of the 

Clarksburg AVA and the surrounding 

regions, which suggest that the 

Clarksburg AVA receives less rainfall 

annually than the surrounding regions. 

However, the petition did not include 

annual average rainfall amounts from 

within the proposed expansion area for 

comparison. 

The expansion petition did provide 

more detailed information on 

temperatures in the region than that 

included in T.D. ATF–166, including 

information on the growing season 

mean, maximum, and minimum 

temperatures from within the 

Clarksburg AVA and the proposed 

expansion area. The data suggests that 

the climate of the proposed expansion 

area is similar to that of the Clarksburg 

AVA. 

T.D. ATF–166, which established the 

Clarksburg AVA, did not consider 

topography to be a distinguishing 

feature of the Clarksburg AVA, only 

noting that the ‘‘lower terraces to the 

east’’ of the AVA are prone to flooding.1

However, the expansion petition 

includes topographic information that 

suggests the proposed expansion area is 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 46 / Wednesday, March 9, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 13159 

more topographically similar to the 

Clarksburg AVA than the surrounding 

regions outside the AVA. Within the 

proposed expansion area, elevations 

range from a lowest point of 10 feet 

below sea level to a highest point of 5 

feet above sea level. Within the current 

boundaries of the Clarksburg AVA, 

elevations range from 10 feet below sea 

level to 10 feet above sea level. By 

comparison, elevations to the east and 

south of the proposed expansion area 

are generally lower than within the 

Clarksburg AVA and the proposed 

expansion area. The petition states that 

the generally lower elevations in the 

surrounding regions mean that the 

depths to water tables are appreciably 

shallower than within the AVA and the 

proposed expansion area. As a result, 

functional root zones are very shallow, 

and the potential for viticulture in the 

surrounding regions is feasible but 

limited. Elevations within the proposed 

expansion area and the Clarksburg AVA 

are similar to those of the region to the 

west, in the Yolo Bypass, but that region 

to the west was excluded from the AVA 

and the proposed expansion area due to 

the frequency of flooding. 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and 

Comments Received 

TTB published Notice No. 198 in the 

Federal Register on November 10, 2020 

(85 FR 71722), proposing to expand the 

Clarksburg AVA. In the notice, TTB 

summarized the evidence from the 

petition regarding the name, boundary, 

and distinguishing features for the 

proposed expansion area. For a detailed 

description of the evidence relating to 

the name, boundary, and distinguishing 

features of the proposed area, see Notice 

No. 198. 

The comment period for Notice No. 

198 closed January 11, 2021. In response 

to Notice No. 198, TTB received a total 

of two comments. One comment was 

from the Board of Directors of the 

Suisun Valley Vintners and Growers 

Association, which describes itself as 

the primary wine grape grower 

association in Solano County. The 

Board expressed support for the 

proposed expansion, noting that the 

Solano County portion of the proposed 

expansion area is ‘‘completely 

consistent in primary attributes (saving 

for slight variances) of the existing 

Clarksburg AVA’’ and should be 

allowed to use the ‘‘Clarksburg’’ 

appellation rather than the political 

appellation ‘‘Solano County.’’ 

Incorporating the proposed expansion 

area into the Clarksburg AVA would 

lead to ‘‘a more complete understanding 

of the varied regions within Solano 

County.’’ The second comment, from a 

wine industry member in Lodi, 

California, also expressed support for 

the proposed expansion. 

TTB Determination 

After careful review of the petition 

and the comments received in response 

to Notice No. 198, TTB finds that the 

evidence provided by the petitioner 

supports the expansion of the 

Clarksburg AVA. Accordingly, under 

the authority of the FAA Act, section 

1111(d) of the Homeland Security Act of 

2002, and parts 4 and 9 of the TTB 

regulations, TTB modifies the 

boundaries of the AVA effective 30 days 

from the publication date of this 

document. 

Boundary Description 

See the narrative description of the 

boundary modifications of the 

Clarksburg AVA in the regulatory text 

published at the end of this final rule. 

Maps 

The petitioners provided the required 

maps, and they are listed below in the 

regulatory text. The modified Clarksburg 

AVA boundaries may also be viewed on 

the AVA Map Explorer on the TTB 

website, at https://www.ttb.gov/wine/ 

ava-map-explorer. 

Impact on Current Wine Labels and 

Transition Period 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations prohibits 

any label reference on a wine that 

indicates or implies an origin other than 

the wine’s true place of origin. For a 

wine to be labeled with an AVA name 

or with a brand name that includes an 

AVA name, at least 85 percent of the 

wine must be derived from grapes 

grown within the area represented by 

that name, and the wine must meet the 

other conditions listed in § 4.25(e)(3) of 

the TTB regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(3)). 

If the wine is not eligible for labeling 

with an AVA name and that name 

appears in the brand name, then the 

label is not in compliance and the 

bottler must change the brand name and 

obtain approval of a new label. 

Similarly, if the AVA name appears in 

another reference on the label in a 

misleading manner, the bottler would 

have to obtain approval of a new label. 

Different rules apply if a wine has a 

brand name containing an AVA name 

that was used as a brand name on a 

label approved before July 7, 1986. See 

§ 4.39(i)(2) of the TTB regulations (27

CFR 4.39(i)(2)) for details.

The expansion of the Clarksburg AVA 

boundary means that wines produced 

mainly from grapes grown in the 

expansion area may be labeled with 

‘‘Clarksburg’’ as an appellation of origin. 

No other established AVAs are affected 

by this expansion. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

TTB certifies that this regulation will 

not have a significant economic impact 

on a substantial number of small 

entities. The regulation imposes no new 

reporting, recordkeeping, or other 

administrative requirement. Any benefit 

derived from the use of an AVA name 

would be the result of a proprietor’s 

efforts and consumer acceptance of 

wines from that area. Therefore, no 

regulatory flexibility analysis is 

required. 

Executive Order 12866 

It has been determined that this final 

rule is not a significant regulatory action 

as defined by Executive Order 12866 of 

September 30, 1993. Therefore, no 

regulatory assessment is required. 

Drafting Information 

Karen A. Thornton of the Regulations 

and Rulings Division drafted this final 

rule. 

List of Subjects in 27 CFR Part 9 

Wine. 

The Regulatory Amendment 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, TTB amends title 27, chapter 

I, part 9, Code of Federal Regulations, as 

follows: 

PART 9—AMERICAN VITICULTURAL 

AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 9 

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 27 U.S.C. 205. 

Subpart C—Approved American 

Viticultural Areas 

■ 2. Section 9.95 is amended by adding 

paragraph (b)(9), revising paragraphs

(c)(4) and (5), redesignating paragraphs

(c)(6) through (12) as paragraphs (c)(7)

through (13), and adding new

paragraph(c)(6) to read as follows:

§ 9.95 Clarksburg.

* * * * * 

(b) * * *

(9) Rio Vista, Calif., 1978 (minor

revision 1993). 

(c) * * * 

(4) Then south along Miner Slough to

the point where it joins Cache Slough. 

(5) Then south along Cache Slough to

the point where it joins the Sacramento 

River. 

(6) Then east, then generally

northeasterly along the meandering 

Sacramento River to the point where it 


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meets the Delta Cross Channel at the 

Southern Pacific Railroad. 

* * * * * 

Signed: March 2, 2022. 

Mary G. Ryan, 

Administrator. 

Approved: March 2, 2022. 

Timothy E. Skud, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax, Trade, and 

Tariff Policy). 

[FR Doc. 2022–05001 Filed 3–8–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 

Bureau 

27 CFR Part 9 

[Docket No. TTB–2020–0009; T.D. TTB–177; 

Ref: Notice No. 194] 

RIN 1513–AC59 

Establishment of the San Luis Obispo 

Coast (SLO Coast) Viticultural Area 

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, Treasury. 

ACTION: Final rule; Treasury decision. 

SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax 

and Trade Bureau (TTB) establishes the 

approximately 408,505-acre ‘‘San Luis 

Obispo Coast’’ viticultural area in San 

Luis Obispo County, California. TTB is 

also recognizing the abbreviated ‘‘SLO 

Coast’’ as the name of the AVA. The 

viticultural area is located entirely 

within the existing Central Coast 

viticultural area and encompasses the 

established Edna Valley and Arroyo 

Grande Valley AVAs. TTB designates 

viticultural areas to allow vintners to 

better describe the origin of their wines 

and to allow consumers to better 

identify wines they may purchase. 

DATES: This final rule is effective April 

8, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen A. Thornton, Regulations and 

Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco 

Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street 

NW, Box 12, Washington, DC 20005; 

phone 202–453–1039, ext. 175. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on Viticultural Areas 

TTB Authority 

Section 105(e) of the Federal Alcohol 

Administration Act (FAA Act), 27 

U.S.C. 205(e), authorizes the Secretary 

of the Treasury to prescribe regulations 

for the labeling of wine, distilled spirits, 

and malt beverages. The FAA Act 

provides that these regulations should, 

among other things, prohibit consumer 

deception and the use of misleading 

statements on labels and ensure that 

labels provide the consumer with 

adequate information as to the identity 

and quality of the product. The Alcohol 

and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 

(TTB) administers the FAA Act 

pursuant to section 1111(d) of the 

Homeland Security Act of 2002, 

codified at 6 U.S.C. 531(d). The 

Secretary has delegated the functions 

and duties in the administration and 

enforcement of these provisions to the 

TTB Administrator through Treasury 

Order 120–01, dated December 10, 2013 

(superseding Treasury Order 120–01, 

dated January 24, 2003). 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 

part 4) authorizes TTB to establish 

definitive viticultural areas and regulate 

the use of their names as appellations of 

origin on wine labels and in wine 

advertisements. Part 9 of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR part 9) sets forth 

standards for the preparation and 

submission to TTB of petitions for the 

establishment or modification of 

American viticultural areas (AVAs) and 

lists the approved AVAs. 

Definition 

Section 4.25(e)(1)(i) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(1)(i)) defines 

a viticultural area for American wine as 

a delimited grape-growing region having 

distinguishing features, as described in 

part 9 of the regulations, and a name 

and a delineated boundary, as 

established in part 9 of the regulations. 

These designations allow vintners and 

consumers to attribute a given quality, 

reputation, or other characteristic of a 

wine made from grapes grown in an area 

to the wine’s geographic origin. The 

establishment of AVAs allows vintners 

to describe more accurately the origin of 

their wines to consumers and helps 

consumers to identify wines they may 

purchase. Establishment of an AVA is 

neither an approval nor an endorsement 

by TTB of the wine produced in that 

area. 

Requirements 

Section 4.25(e)(2) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(2)) outlines 

the procedure for proposing an AVA 

and allows any interested party to 

petition TTB to establish a grapegrowing region as an AVA. Section 9.12 

of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 9.12) 

prescribes standards for petitions for the 

establishment or modification of AVAs. 

Petitions to establish an AVA must 

include the following: 

• Evidence that the area within the 

proposed AVA boundary is nationally 

or locally known by the AVA name 

specified in the petition; 

• An explanation of the basis for 

defining the boundary of the proposed 

AVA; 

• A narrative description of the 

features of the proposed AVA affecting 

viticulture, such as climate, geology, 

soils, physical features, and elevation, 

that make the proposed AVA distinctive 

and distinguish it from adjacent areas 

outside the proposed AVA boundary; 

• If the proposed AVA is to be 

established within, or overlapping, an 

existing AVA, an explanation that both 

identifies the attributes of the proposed 

AVA that are consistent with the 

existing AVA and explains how the 

proposed AVA is sufficiently distinct 

from the existing AVA and therefore 

appropriate for separate recognition; 

• The appropriate United States 

Geological Survey (USGS) map(s) 

showing the location of the proposed 

AVA, with the boundary of the 

proposed AVA clearly drawn thereon; 

and 

• A detailed narrative description of 

the proposed AVA boundary based on 

USGS map markings. 

San Luis Obispo Coast (SLO Coast) 

AVA Petition 

TTB received a petition from the SLO 

Coast AVA Association, proposing to 

establish the ‘‘San Luis Obispo Coast’’ 

AVA. The petition also requested that 

TTB recognize ‘‘SLO Coast’’ as a name 

for the proposed AVA, as ‘‘SLO’’ is a 

frequently-used reference to the 

county’s initials as well as its relaxed 

culture. For purposes of the remainder 

of this document, TTB will refer to the 

proposed AVA as ‘‘SLO Coast.’’ The 

proposed AVA is located in San Luis 

Obispo County, California, and lies 

entirely within the established Central 

Coast AVA (27 CFR 9.75). If established, 

the proposed AVA would also entirely 

encompass the established Edna Valley 

(27 CFR 9.35) and Arroyo Grande Valley 

(27 CFR 9.129) AVAs. Within the 

approximately 480,585-acre proposed 

AVA, there are over 50 wineries, as well 

as an estimated 78 commercial 

vineyards covering approximately 3,942 

acres. The distinguishing features of the 

proposed SLO Coast AVA are its 

topography, climate, and soils. 

The petition describes the proposed 

SLO Coast AVA as a region of coastal 

terraces, foothills, and small valleys 

along the Pacific Coast. The region is 

oriented to the west, allowing the region 

to experience marine fog and cool 

marine air. According to the petition, 97 

percent of the proposed AVA is at or 

below 1,800 feet in elevation, which 

corresponds to the approximate limit of 


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