Oceano Wines – Making a splash on the San Luis Obispo coast

There are so many small producers in California and it is always fun to be introduced to new wineries. I recently sat down with Rachel Martin from Oceano Wines from the San Luis Obispo Coast. The San Luis Obispo Coast is a pending AVA where the wineries sit only a few miles from the ocean. Oceano Wines sources from Spanish Springs Vineyard which sits only a mile-and-a-half from the ocean. The proximity to the ocean is definitely reflected in the minerality and salinity of the wines and you can read more about Oceano Wines in my recent column in the Napa Valley Register and re-posted here. The San Luis Obispo coast sits south of Paso Robles and north of Santa Barbara. This pending AVA was first established in the 1870s, and today there are 30 member wineries who all average five miles from the coast. There is a total of 5,000 vineyard acres planted and 20 grape varieties grown, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir taking the lead.