Alisos Canyon is an American Viticultural Area (AVA), located in Santa Barbara County, California due east outside the small town of Los Alamos on U.S 101 and about 20 miles (32 km) south of Santa Maria, was established on August 25, 2020, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).
The AVA exhibits a unique viticultural influence of the San Antonio Creek Valley which runs directly from the mouth of Alisos and Comasa Canyons to the Pacific Ocean 20 miles (32 km) to the west.
The ingress of cooling marine winds and fog along the San Antonio Creek Valley helps define the climate of Alisos Canyon.
The climate of Alisos Canyon is affected by cool marine air which travels into the area via the drainage system of San Antonio Creek.
However, based on the petition's descriptions, topography and geology appear to be too integral to the region's climate and soils, respectively, to be considered separately from those features.
The petitioners noted Alisos Canyon as a ‘nascent and narrowly-focused Rhone-focused wine region ready for exploration, only two hours north of Los Angeles and 45 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara.’[3][6][7]