Haw River Valley AVA

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Haw River Valley AVA
Wine region
Type American Viticultural Area
Year established2009 [1]
CountryUnited States
Part of North Carolina
Other regions in North Carolina Yadkin Valley AVA, Swan Creek AVA
Soil conditionsLoamy surface and clayey subsoil [2]
Total area868 square miles (555,520 acres) [3]
Size of planted vineyards60 acres (24 ha) [2]
No. of vineyards40 [2]
Grapes produced Vinifera, Hybrid, and Muscadine
No. of wineries6 [2]

The Haw River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) officially became the third federally granted appellation in North Carolina on April 29, 2009, joining the Yadkin Valley AVA and the Swan Creek AVA inside the Yadkin Valley. The Haw River Valley AVA covers the northern, central portion of the state with approximately 868 square miles (555,520 acres). It encompasses Alamance County and portions of Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Orange, and Rockingham counties. [2]

Related Research Articles

American Viticultural Area Designated wine grape-growing region in the United States

An American Viticultural Area (AVA) 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 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 in the state where the AVA is located.

Yadkin Valley AVA

The Yadkin Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes land in seven counties of northwestern North Carolina. The AVA encompasses an area of approximately 1,400,000 acres (5,666 km2) in the Yadkin River valley. The Yadkin Valley AVA includes all of Wilkes, Surry, and Yadkin counties, and parts of Davie, Davidson, Forsyth, and Stokes counties. Yadkin Valley is home to 48 wineries.

Willamette Valley AVA

The Willamette Valley AVA, is an American Viticultural Area which lies in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The AVA is the wine growing region which encompasses the drainage basin of the Willamette River. It stretches from the Columbia River in the north to just south of Eugene in the south, where the Willamette Valley ends; and from the Oregon Coast Range in the west to the Cascade Mountains in the east. At 5,360 square miles (13,900 km2), it is the largest AVA in the state, and contains most of the state's wineries; approximately 200 as of 2006.

Southern Oregon AVA American Viticultural Area

The Southern Oregon AVA, is an American Viticultural Area which lies in Southern Oregon, United States. The Southern Oregon AVA was established in 2005 and was created to include the land of two smaller AVAs: the Rogue Valley AVA and the Umpqua Valley AVA. Southern Oregon AVA was established to allow the two principal winegrowing regions in the southern part of the state to market themselves jointly. This creation of a "super-AVA" is a departure from the trend in the Willamette Valley AVA or northern Oregon of establishing smaller AVAs specific to a particular locale's climate or soil conditions.

Santa Maria Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which straddles the boundary of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties in California's multi-county Central Coast AVA. It was established on August 5, 1981 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) as California's second oldest AVA. A portion of the AVA crosses the Cuyama River into the southernmost corner of San Luis Obispo County. The east–west orientation of the 152.3 square miles with a wide, open valley and rolling hills means cool winds and fog flow in freely from the Pacific Ocean, settling most noticeably in lower-lying areas. The result is a Mediterranean climate that lengthens the growing season and contributes to the eventual sugar/acid balance in the grapes from Santa Maria Valley's 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) cultivated vineyards. On January 28, 2011, the AVA was granted an 29.4 square miles expansion to its southern boundary.

Snake River Valley AVA

The Snake River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area that encompasses an area in Southwestern Idaho and two counties in eastern Oregon. The Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission and the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor filed the petition to recognize the AVA, and it was granted in 2007.

Lodi AVA Wine grape-growing region in California

Lodi AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Central Valley of California, at the northern edge of the San Joaquin Valley east of San Francisco Bay. The AVA gained approval as a designated wine growing area in 1986 and includes 551,000 acres (223,000 ha) of which 103,000 acres (42,000 ha) are currently planted with wine grapes. In 2002, the area included in the AVA was expanded by 93,500 acres (37,800 ha) along the southern and western portions of the original AVA boundaries in San Joaquin County. The appellation includes land in southern Sacramento County and northern San Joaquin County. It is bounded on the west by Interstate Highway 5 and to the east by the political borders for the adjacent El Dorado, Amador, and Calaveras Counties.

The Ohio River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area centered on the Ohio River and surrounding areas. It is the second largest wine appellation of origin in the United States with 16,640,000 acres (26,000 sq mi) (67,300 km2) in portions of the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The area is mostly planted with hybrid grapes like Baco noir, Marechal Foch, Seyval blanc and Vidal. Of the Vitis vinifera found in the area Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Riesling are the most common. The AVA size was decreased by approximately 1,530 square miles when the Indiana Uplands AVA was established in 2013 composed of the bordering area in Indiana.

Central Coast AVA

The Central Coast AVA is a large American Viticultural Area in the U.S. state of California that spans from Santa Barbara County in the south to the San Francisco Bay Area in the north. The boundaries of the Central Coast include portions of six counties. With around 100,000 acres (400 km2) planted to wine grapes, Chardonnay accounts for more than half of the total. Within this larger AVA are several smaller appellations that share the same cooling influence from the Pacific Ocean.

The Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States. Located at the southwestern corner of the Russian River Valley AVA, its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes it one of the coolest appellations within Sonoma County. The climate in the Green Valley is even cooler than other parts of the Russian River Valley, and favors the cultivation of cool climate varietals like Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer.

The Northern Sonoma AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, United States. The appellation covers most of the county with the notable exceptions of the Los Carneros AVA and Sonoma Valley AVA wine regions, which are located in the southern portion of the county. The creation of this AVA was largely based on the petitioning of the E & J Gallo Winery as part of their expansion of their Gallo of Sonoma brand. The viticultural area incorporates the Alexander Valley AVA, Chalk Hill AVA, Dry Creek Valley AVA, Knights Valley AVA, Russian River Valley AVA, Sonoma Coast AVA, and parts of the Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA and Rockpile AVA valleys.

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.

The Mendocino AVA is an American Viticultural Area encompassing Mendocino County, California within the vast North Coast AVA. Within the appellation are several small AVAs, and applications are pending with the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to create AVAs in the Sanel and Ukiah valleys along the Russian River. The Mendocino AVA is known for the cultivation of Mediterranean climate grapes including Carignan, Charbono, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Zinfandel. The cooler climate in the Anderson Valley is known for its Pinot noir and sparkling wine production. Many wineries in nearby Sonoma and Napa counties purchase Mendocino grapes to blend into wines labeled with other appellations.

The Monterey AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in eastern Monterey County, California. It was established in 1984. It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. It runs roughly 100 miles (160 km) from its northern point, north of Monterey Bay to its southern point, abutting Paso Robles, California. Approximately 40,000 acres (160 km2) of wine grapes are currently cultivated in the Monterey AVA.

Santa Ynez Valley AVA Wine region in Santa Barbara, California, United States

The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California and was established on May 16, 1983 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). It is part of the larger Central Coast AVA, and contains the greatest concentration of wineries in Santa Barbara County. The valley is formed by the Purisima Hills and San Rafael Mountains to the north and the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south creating a long, east-west corridor with very cool temperatures on the coast that become progressively warmer inland. The Santa Ynez River flows east to west on the valley floor toward the Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, the Santa Ynez Valley contains four other established viticultural areas: Sta. Rita Hills on its western boundary; Ballard Canyon and Los Olivos District occupying the center region; and Happy Canyon on the eastern border. Chardonnay is the most planted grape variety in the cooler, western portion of the valley while Rhône varieties thrive in the eastern locales.

The Grand River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in portions of the Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties of northeastern Ohio. The wine appellation includes all the land that is contained within the larger, multi-state Lake Erie AVA that is also within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the Grand River or 14 miles (22.5 km) of the shoreline of Lake Erie.

The Outer Coastal Plain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeastern New Jersey. The recently expanded 2,250,000 acres (911,000 ha) wine appellation includes all of Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, and Ocean counties and portions of Salem, Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, and Monmouth counties. The region is characterized by well-drained sandy or sandy loam soils of low to moderate fertility, and a relatively long growing season. The climate is moderated by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. The region is in hardiness zones 6b, 7a, and 7b. The AVA contains one sub-region, the Cape May Peninsula AVA, which was established in 2018.

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.

The Swan Creek AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the northwestern portion of North Carolina, in the Piedmont region. The appellation is distinguished by its loamy soil with schist and mica. Established May 27, 2008, it is the second AVA to be established in North Carolina. It is a sub-appellation of the Yadkin Valley AVA.

The Upper Hiwassee Highlands AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes land in three counties of northern Georgia and two counties of western North Carolina. It is located near the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains and includes portions of the Georgia counties of Fannin, Towns, and Union and of the North Carolina counties of Cherokee and Clay. The region is mainly in hardiness zone 7a.

References

  1. "§9.214 Haw River Valley" (Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas). Code of Federal Regulations. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Establishment of the Haw River Valley Viticultural Area (2007R-179P)" (27 CFR 9 74 FR 14040). Federal Register. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. March 30, 2009. pp. 14040–14045. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  3. "Haw River Valley (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2020.