California wine Department of Viticulture and Enology. The seven leading grape varieties are: Other important red wine grapes include Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Grenache, Malbec, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, and Tannat. Important white wine varietals include Chenin blanc, French Colombard, Gewürztraminer, Marsanne, Muscat Canelli, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Riesling, Roussane, Sémillon, Trousseau gris, and Viognier. Up until the late 1980s, the Californian wine industry was dominated by the Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay. Sales began to drop as wine drinkers grew bored with the familiarity of these wines. Groups of winemakers like Rhône Rangers and a new wave of Italian winemakers
Creston District AVA acres with 1,365 planted in vineyards. It lies on an old erosional plateau at the base of the La Panza Range with alluvial terraces and fans of Huerhuero Creek. The area is in elevation. Average annual rainfall is . The district's soils consist of old, well developed terrace and hillside soils; mix of granite and sedimentary rock. The most widely planted varieties in the Creston District AVA are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah. Creston District AVA Creston District AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the south east portion of the Paso Robles AVA in San Luis