The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau designated the “SLO coast” as California’s newest American Viticultural Area (AVA) earlier this month. The area is in San Luis Obispo (SLO) county and lies on the coast in a nearly 100-mile long strip about halfway between California’s two largest cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

An AVA is a region with a climate and topography that produces a particular variety of wine-making grapes. San Luis Obispo County, where the newest area is located, is home to four other AVAs, Paso Robles being the largest and best-known. A group of 32 wineries known as the SLO Coast Wine Collective applied for the AVA in 2017.

“We are one of the coldest spots to grow grapes because we are so close to the Pacific Ocean,” said SLO Coast Wine president Stephen Dooley in a press release. “What makes this area interesting is the low temperatures coupled with a lot of sunlight. Cool temperatures preserve acid, and in grapes like Pinot Noir, the sun helps with pigment, color and tannin.”

Read more about California’s AVAs and how climate and topography impact wine.