Big Valley District-Lake County AVA
| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2013 |
| Years of wine industry | 146 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | California, North Coast AVA, Lake County, Clear Lake AVA |
| Other regions in California, North Coast AVA, Lake County, Clear Lake AVA | Guenoc Valley AVA, High Valley AVA, Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA, Red Hills Lake County AVA, Upper Lake Valley AVA |
| Growing season | 153-166 days |
| Climate region | Region II-III |
| Heat units | 3,037 GDD |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 20.6 in (523 mm) |
| Soil conditions | alluvial of clay and loam |
| Total area | 11,214 acres (18 sq mi) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 1,800 acres (728 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 43 |
| Grapes produced | Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Petite Sirah,Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Zinfandel |
| No. of wineries | 6 |
Big Valley District-Lake County is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in central Lake County, California on the western shoreline of Clear Lake encompassing the flatter half of the valley north of Kelseyville. The appellation was established as the nation's 210th, the state's 117th and the county's seventh AVA on October 2, 2013 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing two petitions submitted by Terry Dereniuck, on behalf of the Big Valley District and Kelsey Bench Growers Committee, proposing two viticultural areas named "Big Valley District-Lake County" and "Kelsey Bench-Lake County." The petitions were submitted simultaneously as the two proposed areas share a common boundary, therefore, TTB combined both proposals into a single rulemaking document.
Big Valley District shares both the valley and the TTB ruling with Kelsey Bench to the south. The regions' growers submitted the two petitions together, drawing a line between the valley floor and the higher elevations in the south.
At the outset, Big Valley District-Lake County had 6 bonded wineries and 43 vineyards cultivating approximately 1,800 acres (728 ha) of wine grapes. Kelsey Bench-Lake County appellation has one bonded winery and 27 vineyards cultivating approximately 900 acres (364 ha). Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling are the principal white grape varieties within Kelsey Bench and its neighbor the Big Valley District while Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Franc varieties are the majority of red grape plantings in the area.
Big Valley District is in a large valley near Clear Lake, the Mayacamas mountain range and the Mount Konocti volcano. The AVA is in the less hilly area near Kelseyville; the hillier areas are part of the Kelsey Bench. Big Valley is a structural basin that is part of the larger Clear Lake basin. Sauvignon Blanc makes up the majority of the region's plantings in addition to Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc. The plant hardiness zone ranges from 8b to 9a.