[9] TTB was created in January 2003, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, or ATF, was extensively reorganized under the provisions of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

[11] In the 1770s, Spanish missionaries continued the practice under the direction of Father Junipero Serra who brought grapevine cuttings from Mexico to be planted near Sycamore Creek.

The county is famous primarily for the quality of its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and is gaining a reputation for growing Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Viognier.

[12] Santa Barbara County vintners face the multiple challenges of selecting grape varieties appropriate to their unique conditions, protecting their crops from disease and insects, developing local wineries, and promoting their products in the highly competitive national and international markets.

[2] Santa Barbara County has a rich wine making history dating back to 1782 when Father Junipero Serra brought grapevine cuttings from Mexico to be planted near Sycamore Creek.

In 1804, the largest mission vineyard, 25 acres (10 ha), was established just north of Santa Barbara, adjacent to San Jose Creek on land that is now part of Goléta.

Originally the property of the Roman Catholic Church until 1853, it was sold by the Archbishop of the Los Angeles Diocese to an eccentric old pioneer named James McCaffrey, who, with his sons, cultivated the old vines, producing annually about 8,000 gallons of the best vintage.

He cultivated the ancient vineyard for 30 years producing a good crop of wild oats for hay annually, but no plow was permitted to disturb the soil.

Two years later, the county's first commercial wine grape vineyard was planted by UC Davis viticulture graduates Uriel Nielsen and Bill De Mattei in the Santa Maria Valley.

This forms a funnel effect that ushers in fog and cool maritime air from the Pacific Ocean creating distinct micro-climates which extends the growing season.

Therefore, the fruit has an unusually long “hang time” on the vine, allowing it to fully develop the acids, flavors and tannins needed to produce wines of distinctive character.

The east–west orientation of the 152.3 square miles (97,483 acres) with a wide, open valley and rolling hills means cool winds and fog flow in freely from the Pacific Ocean, settling most noticeably in lower-lying areas.

The result is a Mediterranean climate that lengthens the growing season and contributes to the eventual sugar/acid balance in the grapes from Santa Maria Valley's 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) cultivated vineyards.

The 7,800 acres (12 sq mi) designated area lies west of Ballard and Solvang townships while in the center of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA.

State Route 154, known locally as the San Marcos Pass Road or Chumash Highway, bisects the region accessing many of the wineries and vineyards as it traverses toward its destination in Santa Barbara.

The area has been renowned for its high-quality fruit for several years and locals sought to give its informal recognition a more formal status by petitioning for their own AVA.

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.

"[30][31][32] The film Sideways highly publicized Santa Barbara County viticulture, especially its Pinot Noir, showing the rest of the world the beauty and quality found in this cool climate growing region.

[33] There has been an increase in plantings of unique varietals including Chenin Blanc, Trousseau Gris, Gruner Veltliner, Cabernet Franc and Gamay.