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An American Viticultural Area is an officially delimited grape-growing region of the United States distinguishable by its unique geographical and viticultural features (such as soil, climate, elevation, topography, etc.).
edit Certification authority
AVAs are approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau under federal regulations (specifically the Code of Federal Regulations Title 27, Part 9).
edit Selection criteria
An AVA wine must contain not less, by volume, than 85% derived from grapes grown within its boundaries. The wine must be fully finished (except for cellar treatment and/or blending which does not alter the class and type of the wine) in the state or one of the states where the AVA is located.
New AVAs are created practically every year in the US.
To establish a grape-growing region as an AVA, any person may petition the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau with the following information:
- Evidence that the name of the proposed viticultural area is locally and/or nationally known as referring to the area specified in the petition.
- Historical or current evidence that the boundaries of the viticultural area are as specified in the petition.
- Evidence relating to the geographical features (climate, soil, elevation, physical features, etc.) that distinguish the viticultural features of the proposed area from surrounding areas.
- A description of the specific boundaries of the viticultural area, based on features that can be found on USGS maps of the largest applicable scale.
edit See also
