This article is about a geographical area of Monterey County, California. For the stream in Sonoma County, see Arroyo Seco Creek. Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. ... Sonoma County is a county located on Californias Pacific coast north of the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

Arroyo Seco is a recognized AVA immediately southeast of Monterey Bay. The appellation encompasses and area of 60 square miles in the valley adjacent to the Arroyo Seco Creek. Because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the area is considered a cooler growing region, and is best suited for those grape varieties that benefit from the cool after noon breeze. An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a delimited grape-growing region distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the United States governments Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. ... A view of Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, on the coast of California, south of San Francisco. ... An appellation in its broadest sense is a name or designation. ...

The area is known for its gravelly soil that absorbs heat during the day and radiates that heat in the evening. This helps keep the grapes from freezing at night. Gravel being unloaded from a barge Gravel is rock that is of a certain grain size range. ...

The locals have coined the name "Greenfield Potatoes" for the larger potato shaped rocks that strewn the valley floor. In addition to moderating the temperature, the rocks provide excellent drainage.

See also

• United States wine
• California wine

In the United States wine is produced commercially in all fifty states including Hawaii and Alaska, however the majority of wine is produced in California. ... California wine has a long and continuing history, and in recent decades has become recognized producing some of the worlds finest wine, matching the produce of the classic winemaking regions of France and, in some wine competitions, such as the historic Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, surpassing it. ...

References

• The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia
• Taste Monterey Website. A Taste Monterey. Retrieved on February 7, 2006.