"[1][3] San Pasqual Valley was the nation's fifth American Viticultural Area wine region established in 1981.

The climate in this appellation is desert-like but tempered by cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean, with long growing seasons (average temperatures above 50 °F (10 °C) year-round), warm winters with nighttime lows rarely dipping below 35 °F (2 °C), and summers with daily highs rarely exceeding 95 °F (35 °C).

With cooler evenings and granite-based soils that drain well, grapes from this area are able to retain their colors and balanced acidity.

[4] The AVA is defined roughly to include the valleys formed by the San Dieguito River and its tributaries.

San Pasqual is the third oldest AVA in of California..[5] The terrain is varied, rocky with many microclimates.