California’s Mendocino County Creates Marijuana Appellations

California’s Mendocino County is known for producing a diverse array of quality wines. But now the northern coastal county is angling to be known for producing quality marijuana strains distinguished by their growing region.

In what could be a first for this country, Mendocino is being divided into different cannabis appellations to distinguish individual growing regions. Currently, Mendocino has 11 proposed cannabis regions, TheDailyMeal.com reported.

In wine, an appellation designates where a grape was grown and harvested, the type of grape planted, and the environmental factors contributing to a wine’s unique characteristics. Think of France’s Champagne sparkling wines.

By applying appellations to cannabis, Mendocino growers hope to establish the same kind of brand recognition that the term “Napa Valley” has given winemakers from that California region.

According to TheDailyMeal.com, the cannabis appellations will help set the value of medical marijuana grown in a California county, and make it illegal for producers to mislabel non-California cannabis as such.

Growers will also get special “Mendocino Made” certifications that will allow them to establish sustainability standards that will set the local cannabis apart – and possibly bring about an industry standard.

The California Growers Association, a statewide cannabis advocacy group, is developing a process to establish appellations, and planned to offer certifications to other counties, TheDailyMeal.com reported.