California: Wine appellation proposed to boost American Canyon tourism

(NVR) - Someday bottles of pinot noir, chardonnay and other wine varietals may have “American Canyon” on the label if officials heed the recommendation of marketing consultant Terry Hall.

Petitioning for a new American Viticultural Area (AVA), or appellation, was one of Hall’s suggestions during a presentation to the American Canyon Tourism Improvement District Committee last week.

An AVA was part of Hall’s outlined strategy for putting “heads in beds” in American Canyon hotels after the committee agreed to award his business, TH/ink, a $5,000 contract to develop a three-year marketing plan.

In a presentation, Hall, the former director of communications for the Napa Valley Vintners trade association, characterized American Canyon as “a visitor destination ... in its infancy.”

Hall and associate Catherine Boire outlined the strengths and weaknesses of AmCan as a destination and proposed a way forward, beginning with creating “a culture of pro-tourism management.”

American Canyon has a choice, Hall said, of being grouped with a region that gets no visitor dollars or linked to one that pulls in millions.

Creating an American Canyon appellation — Napa County currently has 16 winegrowing regions — would “enhance viewshed, preserve land and help develop the character and uniqueness of American Canyon,” Hall said.

Recently officials from the tourism committee and American Canyon Chamber of Commerce visited six wineries in Carneros — the Napa County AVA nearest to the city — in an attempt to forge new regional relationships. Hall said AmCan is a great home base for exploring the Carneros.