The Tehachapi Mountains Wine Trail

With the recent establishment of The Tehachapi Mountains AVA designation, plans to promote local wine tourism are underway. The Tehachapi Mountains Wine Growers Commission is working to advance tourism in our area.

The City of Tehachapi, our Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner and The Tehachapi Mountains Wine Growers are collaborating to present Caltrans with a plan to erect signage on key roads that will inform and direct traffic to the various vineyards and tasting rooms.

The proposal will include signs from the 58 in both easterly and westerly directions. Additional signs will direct traffic through town and onward to the vineyards thus creating a Wine Trail. The exact verbiage and design will be determined as the process rolls out.

While Tehachapi is a small wine growing region, it is hoped that the AVA (American Viticultural Area) designation will attract tourism from Los Angeles, other parts of the state and tourists from out of state, as well. The wine produced here is created by boutique wineries and is sought after by wine lovers seeking the unique qualities only found in small batch winemaking. Also, grapes grown at 4,000 feet and with the singular soil profile unique to Tehachapi, produce wines that stand out in the California Wine Industry. The Tehachapi Mountain Wine Growers are very excited about what the future will hold for the town of Tehachapi, the local economy and development of a strong wine culture in our region.

Jim Arnold is president of the Tehachapi Wine Growers Commission and owner of Triassic Vineyards.