Livermore Valley AVA unique east-west orientation, unlike many other winegrowing valleys. Due to a reliable onshore afternoon/evening breeze off of the San Francisco Bay a wide fluctuation in temperature between sites and a large diurnal temperature swing occur. Livermore Valley is considered a Winkler Region III grape growing zone with temperatures comparable to northern Napa Valley appellations such as St. Helena or Calistoga. The relatively obscure Petite Sirah grape produced Livermore's best historically known red wine, although the climate also makes for interesting dessert wines as well as excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Rhone varieties. The original plantings of Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc
New Jersey wine Ciliegiolo, Colobel, Colombard, Concord, Corot noir, Corvina, Counoise, De Chaunac, Delaware, Diamond, Dolcetto, Durif (Petite Sirah), Fredonia, Frontenac, Frontenac gris, Gewürztraminer, Geneva Red, Grechetto, Grenache, Grüner Veltliner, Horizon, Ives noir, La Crescent, Lagrein, Lakemont, Landot noir, Léon Millot, Malbec, Malvasia bianca, Marechal Foch, Marquette, Marquis, Marsanne, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Muscat blanc, Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat Ottonel, Nebbiolo, Nero d'Avola, Niagara, Noah, Noiret, Norton (Cynthiana), Orange Muscat, Petit Manseng, Petit Verdot, Pinotage, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Rayon d'Or, Reliance, Riesling, Rkatsiteli, Roussanne, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Teroldego, Schiava Grossa, Sémillon, Seyval blanc, St. Laurent, Sumoll, Syrah, Tempranillo, Tinta Cão, Touriga