Red Hills Lake County AVA
| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2004 2013 Amend 2024 Amend |
| Years of wine industry | 45 |
| 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 | Big Valley District-Lake County AVA, Guenoc Valley AVA, High Valley AVA, Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA, Long Valley-Lake County AVA, Upper Lake Valley AVA |
| Growing season | 120-185 days |
| Climate region | Region III |
| Heat units | 3,244 GDD |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 35 to 65 inches (889–1,651 mm) |
| Soil conditions | Glenview-Bottlerock-Arrowhead, Konocti-Benridge, Collayomi-Aiken (red volcanic), sandy, cobbly and gravelly loams |
| Total area | 32,215 acres (50 sq mi) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 3,250 acres (1,315 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 14 |
| Grapes produced | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Malbec, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Zinfandel |
| No. of wineries | 46 |
Red Hills Lake County is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Lake County, California adjacent to the southwestern shoreline of Clear Lake. It was established as the nation's 171st, the state's 93rd and the county's fifth appellation on July 12, 2004 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted in 2002 by Sara Schorske, president of Compliance Service of America, on behalf of several local grape growers notably Beckstoffer Vineyards, Beringer Blass Wine Estate and Kendall-Jackson, proposing a viticultural area within the county named "Red Hills."
The strikingly red color of the hills in the region is the reason the name "Red Hills" has come to be associated with the area. The red, stony soils are the primary attraction that motivated the dramatic growth of viticulture in the area. The appellation, part of the Mayacamas Range, separates Excelsior Valley to the east from the Big Valley basin to the west. The terrain is rolling hills with elevations between 1,400 and 3,000 feet (427–914 m) above sea level at the foot of Mount Konocti, a dormant cinder cone in the Clear Lake Volcanic Field that last erupted about 11,000 years ago and still listed as active. Red Hills receives an average of 35 to 65 inches (889–1,651 mm) of rainfall annually. At the outset, there were 3,100 planted acres (1,255 ha). The plant hardiness zone ranges from 8b to 9b.
In order to raise the profile of the appellation, David and Andy Beckstoffer launched a program in 2016 to incentivize local winemakers to feature their Red Hills fruit. Beckstoffer had acquired a 1,618-acre (3 sq mi) plot in 1997, named Amber Knolls, and planted 1,025 acres (415 ha).. Each participant would receive 1 ton of Cabernet Sauvignon for free on the condition the resulting wines use the AVA and their Amber Knolls or Crimson Ridge vineyards on their labels, and market the brand in the luxury wine segment. Participating winemakers included Spoto Wines's Stuart Spoto and Lake County Brassfield Estate Winery's Matt Hugues.
The boundaries of the AVA were modified with the establishment of the Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA in 2013, expanding it to the northwest by seven acres (2.8 ha). In March 2024, following a petition on behalf of local vineyard owners, the AVA was officially expanded again, this time by 679 acres (1 sq mi).