How do wine consumers and tourists find information on local wineries? They often find the websites of regional wine associations. According to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), there are 147 established American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in California. About half of these designated wine-grape growing regions are supported by regional winery and grower associations.
These regional winery and grower associations are mostly non-profit organizations of various sizes and with various resources. Some associations have a team of staff, while others are supported by volunteers. The primary role of these associations is to support the vineyards and the wineries by promoting tourism and creating regional branding. Several associations support multiple AVAs and most represent grape growers and wine makers.
A review of all the regional wine association websites in California confirms that each one has a listing of wineries for that region. Most provide direct links to the wineries. Of the more than 50 association websites reviewed, about half use maps to identify the particular wineries in their region. The types of winery maps used vary, so here are my four takeaways from reviewing them:
Associations use printable maps
Almost half of the associations have printable maps with winery and vineyard locations created by various mapping applications or publishing software. The maps are easily downloaded, forwarded, or printed from the website. Some maps only provide the name of the winery, while others include addresses, websites, and hours. Examples include the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance, and the Paso Robles Wine County Alliance maps.
Interactive Google Maps are popular
About a dozen California wine associations have turned to low-cost Google-based mapping applications, primarily Google Maps. These interactive maps link directly to the website of the winery, and provide driving directions and trip planning features. Some impressive examples of Google Maps include the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, the San Diego County Vintners Association, and the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association.
Google My Maps is free and easy
Several organizations use Google My Maps. This free and easy-to-use mapping service is part of all Google accounts. It does have fewer features than Google Maps. The Oakville Winegrowers is an example of using the Google My Maps application to map both the wineries and vineyards. Another wine association using Google My Maps is Carneros Wine Alliance.
The Yolo County Vineyard and Wine Association and the Alexander Valley Winegrowers used Mapbox to map their wineries. It allows for filtering by category, such as tasting room, varietal, local delivery, etc. It also allows you to plan a trip. There are other map-generating services that provide code to be used on websites for creating interactive maps. The Mt. Veeder Appellation map is a good example of using this service.
Printable maps are visually more appealing than most interactive maps. On the other hand, the interactive maps link directly to the winery websites, alleviating the responsibility of keeping information updated. It is for that reason that many California regional winery associations use a combination of printable maps and interactive maps on their websites.
The featured image of this blog post is a map of the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA
