20-597: The Texas High Plains AVA is an American Viticultural Area located on the Llano Estacado region of Texas . The appellation is the second largest American Viticultural Area in Texas, and covers an area of over 270,000 acres (422 sq mi). Most of the vineyards are on flat terrain at elevations between 3,000 feet (914 m) and 4,000 feet (1,219 m) above sea level . The Texas plains can be extremely dry, so most vineyards are irrigated with water from
40-643: A wine is labeled with an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes that make up the wine must have been grown in the AVA, and the wine must be fully finished within the state where the AVA is located. The boundaries of AVAs are defined by the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a component of the United States Department of the Treasury . The TTB defines AVAs at the request of wineries and other petitioners . Prior to
60-401: A wine to be labeled with a state or county appellation, at least 75% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been grown within the boundary of the appellation, and the wine must be fully finished within the state in which the appellation is located. Some states have more stringent rules, such as California , which requires 100% of the grapes used to make the wine be from California and that
80-533: Is a designated wine grape -growing region in the United States , providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about the geographic pedigree of their wines, as wines from a particular area can possess distinctive characteristics. Consumers often seek out wines from specific AVAs, and certain wines of particular pedigrees can claim premium prices and loyal customers. If
100-480: Is an American Viticultural Area covering 29,914 square miles (77,477 km ; 19,144,960 acres) located along the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries in northwest Illinois , northeast Iowa , southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin . Certified by the United States Department of the Treasury 's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on July 22, 2009, it is the largest AVA in
120-486: Is not always the case. See map on the right showing the outline of the Paso Robles AVA , California's largest in total area, and the eleven distinct AVAs contained within it. In 2018, the second session of the 115th Congress recognized the contribution of American Viticultural Areas to the economy. The Blunt-Merkley Resolution passed unanimously. It noted that an AVA allows vintners to describe more accurately
140-589: The Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino County , California, at only 60 acres (24 ha). The Augusta AVA , which occupies the area around the town of Augusta, Missouri , was the first recognized AVA, gaining the status on June 20, 1980. There are currently 276 AVAs spread across 34 states, with over half (154) in California. An AVA may be located within one or more larger AVAs. For example,
160-644: The Ogallala Aquifer . The hardiness zones are 7a and 7b. There are at least six wineries located within the Texas High Plains AVA, although many wineries outside of the AVA source grapes from the high plains including Caprock Winery (the first publicly held Winery in the state) and Llano Estacado Winery . 33°28′35″N 101°47′23″W / 33.4764°N 101.7898°W / 33.4764; -101.7898 American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area ( AVA )
180-660: The Santa Clara Valley AVA and Livermore Valley AVA are located within the boundaries of the San Francisco Bay AVA , which is itself located within the Central Coast AVA . In such cases, the wine may be labeled with any of the relevant AVAs, but winemakers generally label wines with the most specific AVA allowed for each wine. Smaller AVAs are often perceived to be associated with smaller production and higher quality wines, though this
200-772: The TTB regulations (27 C.F.R. § 9.12) prescribes the standards for petitions for the establishment or modification of AVAs. Petitions to establish an AVA must include the following: Once a petition is accepted as complete, the TTB may choose to seek public input on the proposal and at its sole discretion may approve the proposed AVA. Before the AVA system, wine appellations of origin in the United States were designated based on state or county boundaries. All of these appellations were grandfathered into federal regulations and may appear on wine labels as designated places of origin in lieu of an AVA, such as Sonoma County . In order for
220-468: The TTB's creation in 2003, the Treasury’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) received and handled petitions for viticultural areas, wine production and labeling. Section 4.25(e)(2) of the regulations (27 C.F.R. § 4.25(e)(2)) outlines the procedure for proposing an AVA and provides that any interested party may petition the TTB to establish a grape-growing region as an AVA. Section 9.12 of
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#1732771904781240-601: The United States. The AVA encompasses an area 50 times larger than the Bordeaux wine regions of France. Grapes have been grown in Upper Mississippi River region since the earliest of times. The Vitis riparia is a grape native to the southern half of Minnesota and Wisconsin, where it flourishes along the many riverbanks of the Mississippi and its tributaries. The native Sioux and Ojibwa ate
260-519: The cold winters and pruned in February and March. The Upper Mississippi River Valley grows mainly hybrid grape varieties like Chardonel , Edelweiss , La Crosse , Marechal Foch , Frontenac , Marquette , and Saint Croix . Research at the University of Minnesota , influenced by the work of horticulturalist Elmer Swenson , have been developing new hybrid grapes that could better withstand
280-470: The cold winters. After harvest , many wineries will take the grapevines down from their trellises . The vines are then pruned and buried under mulch . In the spring, just prior to budding , the vines are then guided back into the trellises to begin the next growing cycle However, with new hybrid varietals developed by the University of Minnesota, these newer vines may stay on the trellises during
300-500: The fresh berries and used the dry fruit in pemmican . They apparently did not, however, ferment the grapes into wine. The early settlers called it the frost grape , as it was best when picked after the first hard frost. With the influx of settlers in the 1840s and '50s, grape growing was tried along with all other horticultural pursuits. Varieties developed on the eastern seaboard such as the Concord were somewhat successful. The fruit
320-667: The large north-to-south range from 5a to 6a. The boundaries of the AVA share the unique geographical connection of all being part of the Paleozoic Plateau, also known as the Driftless Area , and therefore do not have the same type of vineyard soils as wine regions that were in areas that experienced glaciation during the last ice age . In the Upper Mississippi Valley River AVA, viticultural techniques must be adapted to deal with
340-399: The origin of their wine, while helping vintners to build and enhance the reputation and value of the wines produced. AVAs also allow consumers to attribute a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic to a wine made from grapes grown in an AVA. AVAs also help consumers identify what they purchase. Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA
360-699: The wine be fully finished within the state. Washington requires 95% of the grapes in a Washington wine be grown in Washington, although notably the Columbia Valley AVA , Columbia Gorge AVA , and Walla Walla Valley AVA are shared with Oregon. AVAs vary widely in size, ranging from the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA , at more than 19 million acres (29,900 square miles (77,000 km )) across four states ( Illinois , Iowa , Minnesota , and Wisconsin ), to
380-436: Was commercially used for fresh fruits or preserves. No wine was made except for personal use. However, these eastern varieties were not quite hardy enough and the coldest of winters, together with the growth of the California fresh fruit industry, eventually did the industry in. By the 1930s grape growing was limited to backyard vineyards for family use only. The first winery in this region, Alexis Bailly Vineyard and Winery ,
400-595: Was opened in 1973 near Hastings, Minnesota . At the time it was believed that this part of the Upper Mississippi Valley endured winters that were too cold to sustain viticulture . The climate of the Upper Mississippi Valley is continental and cool. The rolling hills and sloping landscape of the region permits maximum sun exposure which facilitates grape growth. Vineyards are planted in soils composed of mainly clay and silt loam on top of bedrock of limestone . The hardiness zone varies within
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