'''Sta. Rita Hills''' is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California within the vast Santa Ynez Valley. The approximately 48 sqmi area was established on May 31, 2001 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Department of the Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by J. Richard Sanford (Sanford Winery) and drafted by Wesley D. Hagen (Vineyard Manager of Clos Pepe Vineyards), on behalf of viticulturists and vintners working in Santa Barbara County. The petition was signed by 22 people, 14 of whom are local wine grape growers, to establish a viticultural area encompassed by, but separate from, the Santa Ynez Valley AVA to be named "Santa Rita Hills." From its creation in 2001 through 2005, the appellation was officially named Santa Rita Hills AVA. The formal name change was the result of a protest by and subsequent negotiations with Vina Santa Rita, a very large Chilean wine producer that was concerned about the AVA name diluting its international brand value. The name change took effect on January 5, 2006, with a yearlong period for producers in the AVA to change their wine labels. In 2016, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) expanded the approximately 33380 acre “Sta. Rita Hills” viticultural area by approximately 2296 acre.

Terroir

Sta. Rita Hills is a sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley AVA, located between the towns of Lompoc and Buellton with the Purisima Hills on the north and the Santa Rosa Hills on the south. The wine region is exposed to fog and coastal breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The hills are oriented on an east-west axis, which allows cool ocean breezes from the Pacific Ocean to enter the valley creating a cool mesoclimate. Combined with the rocky nature of the area, the Santa Rita Hills area is well-suited for the growing Pinot noir grapes, which grow well in cool climates with rocky soil. The region is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot noir, and cool climate Syrah varietal wines.

Wine industry

The AVA petition was submitted from viticulturists and vintners in the area under the direction of J. Richard Sanford (Sanford Winery), Bryan Babcock (Babcock Vineyards and Winery), and Wesley D. Hagen (Vineyard Manager of Clos Pepe Vineyards). Wineries and locations in Sta. Rita Hills were featured in the 2004 U.S. film Sideways. Sideways Fest is an annual three-day event hosted by the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance celebrating the anniversary of the movie's filming in the Santa Ynez Valley.