American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area (AVA ) is a denomination of origin in the U.S. viticulture. Control authority, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ( TTB short ). The TTB defines on the initiative of winemakers, winery associations and other local facilities, the geographic boundaries of the AVA. By 2003, this task the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was responsible.
Currently, there are 187 AVAs (April 2007). Only 97 are in the state of California. The smallest wine region is only 25 hectares ( 62 acres) of Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino County in California. The largest region is the Ohio River Valley AVA with almost 67.3 thousand km ², extending over four states. The Augusta AVA in Augusta (Missouri ) received this status was the first region on June 20, 1980.
The specifications of the TTB are purely geographical in nature. Provisions for income restrictions, grape varieties, vine training, etc. are not provided in the system of AVA.
A vineyard may well belong to multiple AVAs. The two areas of Santa Clara Valley AVA and Livermore Valley AVA, for example, are a little more closely defined part of the San Francisco Bay AVA, which in turn is part of the extensive Central Coast AVA.
Current list of AVA
The following list is based on the geographical location of the American Viticultural Areas:
The AVA in California
See also the article viticulture in California.
- Alexander Valley
- Anderson Valley
- Arroyo Grande Valley
- Arroyo Seco
- Atlas peak
- Ben Lomond Mountain
- Benmore Valley
- Bennett Valley
- Borden Ranch
- California Shenandoah Valley
- Capay Valley
- Carmel Valley
- Central Coast
- Chalk Hill
- Chalone
- Chiles Valley
- Cienega Valley
- Clarksburg
- Clements Hills
- Clear Lake
- Cole Ranch
- Cosumnes River
- Covelo
- Cucamonga Valley
- Diablo Grande
- Diamond Mountain District
- Dos Rios
- Dry Creek Valley
- Dunnigan Hills
- Edna Valley
- El Dorado
- Fair Play
- Fiddletown
- Green Valley of Russian River Valley
- Guenoc Valley
- Hames Valley
- High Valley
- Howell Mountain
- Jahant
- Knights Valley
- Lime Kiln Valley
- Livermore Valley
- Lodi
- Los Carneros
- Madera
- Malibu -Newton Canyon
- McDowell Valley
- Mendocino
- Mendocino Ridge
- Merritt Iceland
- Mokelumne River
- Monterey
- Mt Harlan
- Mt Veeder
- Napa Valley
- North Coast
- North Yuba
- Northern Sonoma
- Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley
- Oakville
- Pacheco Pass
- Paicines
- Paso Robles
- Potter Valley
- Ramona Valley
- Red Hills Lake County
- Redwood Valley
- River Junction
- Ribbon Ridge
- Rockpile
- Russian River Valley
- Rutherford
- Saddle Rock - Malibu
- Salado Creek
- San Antonio Valley
- San Benito
- San Bernabe
- San Francisco Bay
- San Lucas
- San Pasqual Valley
- San Ysidro District
- Santa Clara Valley
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Santa Lucia Highlands
- Santa Maria Valley
- Santa Ynez Valley
- Seiad Valley
- Sierra Foothills
- Sloughhouse
- Snake River Valley
- Solano County Green Valley
- Sonoma Coast
- Sonoma County
- Sonoma Mountain
- Sonoma Valley
- South Coast
- Spring Mountain District
- St. Helena
- Sta. Rita Hills
- Stags Leap
- Suisun Valley
- Temecula Valley
- Tracy Hills
- Trinity Lakes
- Wild Horse Valley
- Willow Creek
- York Mountain
- Yorkville Highlands
- Yountville
List of Pacific Northwest AVAs
The American Viticultural Areas ( AVAs ) in Oregon, Washington and Idaho are:
- Applegate Valley, Oregon
- Chehalem Mountains, Oregon
- Columbia Gorge, Oregon and Washington
- Columbia Valley, Washington and Oregon
- Dundee Hills, Oregon
- Eola - Amity Hills, Oregon
- Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Washington
- Lake Chelan AVA, Washington
- McMinnville, Oregon
- Puget Sound, Washington
- Rattlesnake Hills, Washington
- Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon
- Red Mountain, Washington
- Ribbon Ridge, Oregon
- Rogue Valley, Oregon
- Snake River Valley, Idaho
- Southern Oregon, Oregon
- Umpqua Valley, Oregon
- Wahluke Slope, Washington
- Walla Walla Valley, Oregon and Washington
- Willamette Valley, Oregon
- Yakima Valley, Washington
- Yamhill -Carlton District, Oregon
List of AVAs the east coast
- Catoctin, Maryland
- Cayuga Lake, New York
- Central Delaware Valley, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- Cumberland Valley, Maryland and Pennsylvania
- Finger Lakes, New York
- Grand River Valley, Ohio
- Long Iceland, New York
- Hudson River, New York
- Lake Erie, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania
- Lancaster Valley, Pennsylvania
- Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
- Linganore, Maryland
- Martha 's Vineyard, Massachusetts
- Monticello, Virginia
- Niagara Escarpment, New York
- North Fork of Long Iceland AVA, New York
- North Fork of Roanoke, Virginia
- Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace, Virginia
- The Outer Coastal Plain, New Jersey
- Rocky Knob, Virginia
- Seneca Lake, New York
- Shenandoah Valley, Virginia and West Virginia
- Southeastern New England, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Iceland
- The Hamptons, Long Iceland, New York
- Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia
- Warren Hills, New Jersey
- Western Connecticut Highlands, Connecticut
- Yadkin Valley, North Carolina
List of AVAs in the center of the country
- Alexandria Lakes, Minnesota
- Altus, Arkansas
- Arkansas Mountain, Arkansas
- Augusta, Missouri
- Bell Mountain, Texas
- Escondido Valley, Texas
- Fennville, Michigan
- Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, Texas
- Grand River Valley, Ohio
- Grand Valley, Colorado
- Hermann, Missouri
- Isle St. George, Ohio
- Kanawha River Valley, Ohio and West Virginia
- Lake Michigan Shore, Michigan
- Lake Wisconsin, Wisconsin
- Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan
- Loramie Creek, Ohio
- Mesilla Valley, New Mexico and Texas
- Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico
- Mimbres Valley, New Mexico
- Mississippi Delta, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee
- Ohio River Valley, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia
- Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan
- Ozark Highlands, Missouri
- Ozark Mountain, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma
- Shawnee Hills, Illinois
- Shenandoah Valley, Virginia and West Virginia
- Sonoita, Arizona
- Texas Davis Mountains, Texas
- Texas High Plains, Texas
- Texas Hill Country AVA, Texas
- Texoma, Texas and Oklahoma
- West Elks, Colorado