River Junction AVA

River Junction AVA ( recognized since 1 June 2001) is an American Viticultural Area in the U.S. state of California. The area covers the administrative areas of San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County.

The north-west of the city of Modesto location area is located near the confluence of the San Joaquin River and Stanislaus River, a fact that was its name to the area. The establishment of protected designation of origin went back to an initiative of the estate McManis Family Vineyards ( halfway between Modesto and Stockton located ), which is the only commercial estate of the region remained to this day. As a unique feature of the wine-growing region in the comparison of other Californian AVAs the California Longitudinal Valley is the slightly cooler climate and a high proportion of a fine sandy loam in the bottom of alluvium. The cooler climate favors the cultivation of white grape varieties. Currently 90 percent of the area is planted with Chardonnay grapes.