Eleven new viticultural areas are being established in California's Paso Robles region.  

The US's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is set to publish a final ruling today to designate the areas, which are in the existing Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) in San Luis Obispo County. The ruling, which will be effective from 10 November, is in response to a petition from an association of local vintners and grape growers, the TTB said.  

The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance said on its website: "These 11 new AVAs will be a powerful tool for wineries to explain why certain grapes are particularly well suited to certain parts of the appellation, and why some wines show the characteristics they do while other wines, from the same or similar grapes, show differently."

The new viticultural areas are: Adelaida District, Creston District, El Pomar District, Paso Robles Estrella District, Paso Robles Geneseo District, Paso Robles Highlands District, Paso Robles Willow Creek District, San Juan Creek, San Miguel District, Santa Margarita Ranch, and Templeton Gap District.