Salado Creek AVA
| Wine region | |
Stanislaus County AVAs | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2004 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | California, Stanislaus County |
| Other regions in California, Stanislaus County | Diablo Grande AVA, Paulsell Valley AVA, Tracy Hills AVA |
| Growing season | 291 days |
| Heat units | 2,130–5,562 GDD |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 13.33 in (339 mm) |
| Soil conditions | fine sandy loam over deep loam subsoil w/parent material of sandstone and shale |
| Total area | 2,940 acres (5 sq mi) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 44 acres (18 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 1 |
| Grapes produced | Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Viognier |
Salado Creek (/səˈlɑːdoʊ/ sə-LAH-doh) is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in western Stanislaus County, California, on the edge of the Central Valley southwest of the town of Patterson. The wine appellation was established on June 24, 2004, as the nation's 169th, the state's 91st and county's second AVA by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Stan Grant, Vineyard Consultant of Progressive Viticulture in Turlock, California, on behalf of Fred Vogel of the Sunflower Ranch Company in Patterson, California, proposing a viticultural area named "Salado Creek."
At the outset, the 2,940-acre (5 sq mi) viticultural area had 44 acres (18 ha) under vine situated around Salado Creek and the Little Salado Creek at the base of the Diablo Range. Most of the grapes were processed by KitFox Vineyards, using all custom-crush facility in Lodi. The plant hardiness zone is 9b. Currently, the AVA mostly consists of small grapegrowers sourcing contract wineries outside the area making vintages under a handful of labels.