Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2022/2023

18 2022 Scenic 395 Brandon & Marlon Ashmore AshmoreMotors.com 20917 South Street #B, Tehachapi, CA 661-823-4877 Autos ~ R.V’s ~ Motorcycles Buy • Sell • Trade ASK ABOUT OUR MILITARY DISCOUNT We buy cars paid for or not Techachapi By Darla A. Baker The Daily Independent Although Californians may still think of areas such as Paso Robles as the best op- tion for wining and dining, a similar expe- rience can be found just up the hill in Te- hachapi where vineyards are continuing to develop and the wines are winning awards. With the region’s warm days, cool nights and consistent winds, growers have final- ly put Tehachapi on the map by making it a designated wine grape-growing region. After years of hard work, Tehachapi Mountains received accreditation for its wines. In November 2020, Rep. Kevin McCar- thy, R-Bakersfield, announced that local vintners can now label their bottles of wine as the Tehachapi Mountains American Vi- ticultural Area. Established by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, this action will allow Tehachapi wines to compete with oth- er well-known AVAs in the state such as Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles. There are currently 251 AVAs in the United States, including 140 in California. Jim Arnold, Triassic Vineyards’ owner and president of Tehachapi Wine Growers Commission, was instrumental in the Te- hachapi Mountains receiving its AVA ac- creditation. “I am excited that the Tehachapi Moun- tains American Viticultural Area has been approved. This means a lot for the Te- hachapi wine growers, the greater Te- hachapi area and Kern County. In addition to being known as ‘The Land of Four Sea- sons,’ Tehachapi will become known as an exceptional wine-growing region tucked away in the Tehachapi Mountains,” said Arnold. Arnold said that if it wasn’t for the ef- forts of Bob and Patty Souza and Chuck McCollough, Tehachapi’s original wine growers, the recent accreditation could not have been possible. In addition, Arnold gave Julie Bell major kudos as the AVA petition author. According to Julie Bell, the establish- ment of theTehachapiMountainsAVAwill give Tehachapi area winegrowers the abil- ity to develop and market their wine based on the reputation of the Tehachapi area for producing high-quality wine grapes. “The high altitude, yet warm conditions truly make the Tehachapi area unique, providing winegrowers a setting to grow and fully ripen quality wine grapes, which require both warm, sunny days and cool nights to develop the subtle flavors neces- sary to make outstanding wines,” Bell said in the news release. The Tehachapi Mountains AVA will en- compass approximately 58,000 acres of some of the highest elevations in the coun- try. Award-winning wines in Tehachapi Mountains lead to AVA accreditation Triassic Vineyards in Tehachapi. Courtesy photo