San Luis Obispo Wine Region

Known as “the Vineyards of Eden,” the wineries of South San Luis Obispo County are respected around the globe for their world-class wines. Vineyards carpet the hills and hollows of the Edna Valley and the Arroyo Grande Valley—each a designated American Viticultural Area—as well as the Avila Valley and Nipomo.

European settlers learned early that the climate and soil around San Luis Obispo are ideal for growing wine grapes. Back in the days of the Spanish missions, Franciscan padres planted vineyards to make wine for sacramental purposes. Local people have been producing wine commercially for about 100 years, but it is only in the past two decades that SLO’s wine region has blossomed.

Of San Luis Obispo County’s many wineries (there are about 30,000 acres of vineyards and more than to 200 wineries), over two dozen lie in the AVAs just south of SLO city. The cool climate and marine sediment in the soil of Edna Valley nurture superior Chardonnay and are ideally suited to Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache and white Rhone varietals such as Roussanne and Viognier.

Wine lovers can drive serene back roads through rolling countryside to discover the treasures of San Luis Obispo wine country and stop along the way to taste the flavors of the area.