Alexandria Lakes AVA

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Alexandria Lakes AVA
Wine region
Type American Viticultural Area
Year established2005 [1]
CountryUnited States
Part of Minnesota
Climate region Continental
Total area10,800 acres (17 sq mi) [2]
No. of wineries1 [3]
Wine produced Malbec, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon [3]

The Alexandria Lakes AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Douglas County, Minnesota, near the city of Alexandria. Alexandria Lakes was the first AVA to be created in Minnesota. The AVA was created in 2005 as the result of a successful petition to the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau by the owners of Carlos Creek Winery, a winery near the city of Alexandria in the state of Minnesota. [4]

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Horse Heaven Hills AVA

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Dry Creek Valley AVA

The Dry Creek Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, located northwest of the town of Healdsburg. The valley is formed by Dry Creek, a tributary of the Russian River, and is approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. The appellation benefits from the proximity of the Lake Sonoma reservoir for irrigation in this relatively dry area.

North Coast AVA

The North Coast AVA is an American Viticultural Area in the state of California that encompasses grape-growing regions in six counties located north of San Francisco: Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano. This large appellation covers over 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) and includes a number of smaller sub-appellations that all share the common ecology trait of weather affected by the cool fog and breezes of the Pacific Ocean.

The Sonoma Coast AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States containing more than 500,000 acres (2,000 km2), mostly along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. It extends from San Pablo Bay to the border with Mendocino County. The appellation is known for its cool climate and high rainfall relative to other parts of Sonoma County. The area has such a broad range of microclimates that petitions have been made to the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for the creation of sub-AVAs such as the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA which was approved in December 2011.

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The Texoma AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in north central Texas, on the south side of Lake Texoma and the Red River that forms the border with the state of Oklahoma. The Texoma region is where 19th century viticulturist Thomas Volney Munson discovered that grafting Vitis vinifera grapevines onto native American varieties of vine rootstock resulted in vines that were resistant to phylloxera. The technique saved the European wine industry when it was brought to France, which was suffering its first phylloxera epidemic. The region was not designated an American Viticultural Area until 2005.

The Ozark Highlands AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern Missouri in the Ozark Mountains. The appellation includes land from just east of Jefferson City in the north to the Eleven Point River in the south, including parts of Phelps, Maries, Osage, Gasconade, Franklin, Crawford, Shannon, Dent, Texas, Reynolds, and Pulaski counties. The AVA was established in 1987. Contained entirely within the larger Ozark Mountain AVA, the area is drier than other parts of the state, but the soil of sandy loam and clay retains moisture well. The first grapevines in the Ozark Highlands were planted by Italian immigrants. All variety of grapes are grown in the area, including Vitis vinifera, Vitis labrusca, and French hybrids.

Old Mission Peninsula AVA

The Old Mission Peninsula AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan known for well-regarded Michigan wine. The Old Mission Peninsula extends northward from Traverse City into the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan, ending at Old Mission Point. The peninsula is 19 miles (31 km) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide at its widest point. The climate on the peninsula is moderated by the surrounding waters, helping to prevent frost during the growing season. Grape varietals suitable to cool climates, such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot do best in the Old Mission Peninsula AVA.

The Lake Erie AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes 2,236,800 acres (905,200 ha) of land on the south shore of Lake Erie in the U.S. states of Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania. Over 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of the region are planted in grapevines, predominantly in the Concord grape variety.

The Warren Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Warren County, New Jersey. The Warren Hills region includes several small valleys formed by tributaries of the Delaware River. The valleys drain from northeast to southwest, and most vineyards in the area are planted on southeast-facing hill slopes. The region is primarily planted with French hybrid grapes. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and is located in hardiness zones 6b and 6a.

Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA

The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area covering 29,914 square miles 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 the United States. The AVA encompasses an area 50 times larger than the Bordeaux wine regions of France.

Wisconsin Ledge AVA

The Wisconsin Ledge AVA is an American Viticultural Area in northeast Wisconsin along the Niagara Escarpment in Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Washington, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Calumet, Outagamie, and Brown counties. Certified by the United States Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on March 22, 2012, it covers an area of 3,800 sq mi (9,800 km2) and is the second AVA designation wholly in Wisconsin, following the Lake Wisconsin AVA established in 1994. The state's third is the gargantuan Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA which also covers land in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. After 7 long years, and 4000 hours, Steven J. DeBaker of Trout Springs Winery was granted his petition to the TTB for establishment of the Wisconsin Ledge AVA. It became the 203rd AVA in the US, including just under 2.5 million acres making it the 12th largest AVA in the US. Today, there are 24 bonded wineries that lie within the AVA with over 400 acres of vines planted.

The Middleburg Virginia AVA is an American Viticultural Area in the northern Piedmont region of Virginia, 50 miles (80 km) west of Washington, D.C.. It is named for the town of Middleburg, Virginia and is bounded by the Potomac River to the north and by mountains in other directions. The hardiness zone of the AVA is 7a.

References

  1. "§ 9.177 Alexandria Lakes" (Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas). Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR). February 5, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  2. "American Viticultural Areas by State". Wine Institute. 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
  3. 1 2 "Alexandria Lakes (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2005. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014.
  4. "Minnesota gets first AVA". Wines and Vines. October 1, 2005. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008.

Coordinates: 45°58′N95°23′W / 45.967°N 95.383°W / 45.967; -95.383