Los Angeles County's own high desert wine country: the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA plus the canyon vineyards of Leona Valley and Agua Dulce, where family wineries grow bold reds above 2,300 feet under enormous desert skies.
Ask most Angelenos where LA County's wine country is and you'll get a blank stare, which is exactly what makes the Antelope Valley worth the drive. Across the high desert north of the San Gabriels, family wineries grow vines above 2,300 feet in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA, designated in 2011, while the canyon districts of Leona Valley and Agua Dulce add their own pockets of vineyard tucked against the Sierra Pelona.
The desert writes the style: relentless sun ripens bold reds while cold high-elevation nights keep them fresh, and the enormous skies, poppy fields in spring, Joshua trees at the margins, make tasting trips feel like proper desert excursions. Most producers are family-scale and many pour on weekend schedules, so the region rewards a little planning and repays it with pours from the people who made the wine.
Wino Notion's pages for the Antelope Valley, Agua Dulce and Leona Valley roster are rolling out now. Browse the live list below as the region comes online.
Yes, the Antelope Valley high desert plus the Leona Valley and Agua Dulce canyons hold LA County's working wine country, with family wineries growing above 2,300 feet under the 2011-designated Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA.
Bold, concentrated reds lead, ripened by intense desert sun and freshened by cold high-elevation nights, alongside a range of small-lot whites and dessert styles.
Many of the region's family wineries pour on weekend schedules or select days, so check each winery's current hours before driving out.
Roughly an hour to ninety minutes from central Los Angeles, with Agua Dulce and Leona Valley the closest stops and Lancaster's wineries a short drive beyond.
All 9 wineries and producers we track across the Antelope Valley, Agua Dulce and the high desert, each with its own Wino Notion page.