The Alexander Valley is a Californian American Viticultural Area (AVA) just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries and vineyards, as well as the city of Cloverdale. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma. Highway 101 runs through the valley, and the Russian River flows down the valley, surrounded by vineyards on both sides. From the higher elevations of the valley rim, there is a view as far south as Taylor Mountain and Sonoma Mountain. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander, owner of a part of the Rancho Sotoyome Mexican land grant, in 1847. Granted AVA status in 1984, the boundaries of the appellation are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 9.53.
The Yamhill-Carlton AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in both Washington County and Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and surrounds the towns of Carlton and Yamhill. The mountain ridges surrounding the AVA form a horseshoe shape, and most of the vineyards are located on south-facing slopes. The AVA includes only land between 200 feet (61 m) and 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level where marine sediments are some of the oldest soils in the Willamette Valley and create unique conditions for viticulture. The region is in the rain shadow of the 3,500 feet (1,100 m) Oregon Coast Range, a short distance to the west.
The Jahant AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within the Lodi AVA. Most of the AVA is located within San Joaquin County, California, with a small part in Sacramento County. At 28,000 acres (11,331 ha), Jahant is the smallest of the Lodi sub-appellations. The area is known for its distinctive pink colored Rocklin-Jahant loam soil with the AVA's boundaries being delineated by the extent and reaches of the soil. This low-lying AVA is affected by its close proximity to the Mokelumne River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta which keeps the climate cool and dry.
The San Antonio Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area centered on San Antonio Valley, California in southern Monterey County, California. The AVA was approved in July 2006 by the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
The San Pasqual Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in northern San Diego County, California. It is located in the San Pasqual Valley of the Peninsular Ranges, in Southern California.
The Bennett Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Sonoma County, California. The boundaries of this appellation lie completely within the North Coast AVA, almost completely within the Sonoma Valley AVA and overlaps into some areas of the Sonoma Coast AVA and Sonoma Mountain AVA. The region was granted AVA status on December 23, 2003 following the petition of Matanzas Creek Winery. The AVA is surrounded to the south, east and west by the Sonoma Mountains and to the north by the city of Santa Rosa, California. The region receives a moderating effect on its climate from Pacific Ocean through the cool coastal fogs and breeze that creep into the area from the southwest through Crane Canyon between Sonoma Mountain and Taylor Mountain. Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc and Syrah are the leading grape varieties planted.
The Chalk Hill AVA is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Sonoma County, California. The boundaries of the wine appellation cover the northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA. The majority of vineyards are located to the east of U.S. Route 101, near the town of Windsor. The name Chalk Hill comes from the unique volcanic soil of chalky white ash which has shown itself to perform well with planting of white wine varietals like Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The majority of the region's wineries are located on the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains.
The Seiad Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Siskiyou County, California, located adjacent to the Klamath River and close to the border with Oregon. The wine region was granted AVA status in 1994 despite having only one commercially bonded winery in operation, Seiad Valley Vineyards, which has since ceased operations. The valley floor is covered in the excavated rock left behind as tailings from gold mining. The exposed rocks absorb and retain heat from the sun, moderating the effects of a cool, mountain valley climate. There are approximately 3 acres (1 ha) of Riesling being grown inside the geographic boundaries of the AVA.
The Malibu-Newton Canyon Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Los Angeles County, California. The boundaries of the AVA include Newton Canyon, located about 4 miles (6 km) from the Pacific Ocean within the city limits of Malibu. George Rosenthal planted the first vineyards planted in the area since Prohibition in 1987, and was successful in his petition for the creation of the AVA in 1996. The canyon varies in elevation from 1,400 feet (427 m) to 2,800 feet (853 m) above sea level. Coastal fog and wind can influence the microclimate of the canyon, providing a cooler climate than the surrounding areas.
The Saddle Rock-Malibu AVA is an American Viticultural Area in the Santa Monica Mountains, within western Los Angeles County, California.
The Santa Ynez Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Santa Barbara County, California established on May 16, 1983 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after approving a petition submitted by Firestone Vineyard, a bounded winery in Los Olivos, California. 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 Mokelumne River AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in San Joaquin County, California. It is located in the southwest part of the larger Lodi AVA, and includes the city of Lodi and the towns of Woodbridge and Acampo. The AVA is named after the Mokelumne River, which drains out of the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the San Joaquin River and passes through the heart of the appellation. The wine region includes a portion of the lower Mokelumne River and the Cosumnes River, a tributary. The Mokelumne River AVA covers 87,500 acres (35,410 ha), of which 42,000 acres (16,997 ha) are planted to wine grapes. The soil in the area is alluvial fan deposits of sand and loam. Ample rainfall and soil moisture retention allows most grape growers to farm without the use of irrigation.
The Diablo Grande AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Stanislaus County, California. All 30,000 acres (12,141 ha) in the AVA are owned by the Diablo Grande Resort Community, and Isom Ranch Winery is the only winery producing wines that carry the Diablo Grande AVA designation on their labels. Vineyards in the AVA are planted between 1,000 feet (300 m) and 1,800 feet (550 m) above sea level. The region is named after nearby Mount Diablo, the highest peak in the Pacific Coast Range.
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.
The Ozark Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in northwest Arkansas, southern Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma. The sixth largest American Viticultural Area in total size, Ozark Mountain AVA covers 3,520,000 acres (1,424,493 ha). Four smaller AVAs have been established within its boundaries, to recognize those distinct regions whose climate, vineyard soil, or other growing conditions create unique areas for viticulture. The hardiness zone in the region varies from 6a to 7b.
The Fennville AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Allegan County, Michigan. Entirely contained within the larger Lake Michigan Shore AVA, the Fennville AVA borders Lake Michigan on the west, the Kalamazoo River on the north, a game reserve to the east, and the Black River on the south. The soil in the Fennville area is different from surrounding areas, primarily glacial sandy soils. The area's climate is moderated by the nearby Lake Michigan, and few days in the summer growing season exceed 90 °F (32 °C). Grape growers in the area have had success with both Vitis vinifera and Vitis labrusca wine grapes. The hardiness zone is 6a.
The Altus AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Arkansas River Valley in Arkansas near the town of Altus in Franklin County. The wine region is entirely contained within the Arkansas Mountain AVA, which is in turn contained within the larger multi-state Ozark Mountain AVA. The Altus region is a plateau above the Arkansas River to the south and below the Boston Mountains to the north. The soil is gravel and loam, with a high acidity. Five wineries in the area produce nearly 1 million US gallons (3,800,000 L) of wine per year.
The Isle St. George AVA is an American Viticultural Area located on North Bass Island, Ohio, an island in Lake Erie. The only town on the Ottawa County island is also called Isle Saint George, although the "Saint" in the AVA name must be abbreviated as "St." to be used on wine labels. Over half of the island used to be planted with grapevines. Now only 44% of the island has grapes. Lake Erie is warmer than the other Great Lakes, providing a moderating and warming effect on the local climate. Temperatures on the island during the growing season can be warmer than on the mainland. Cool climate varietals such as Catawba, Delaware, Gewürztraminer, Pinot noir, and Riesling are the most important in Isle St. George.
The Cumberland Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Washington County in west-central Maryland and Franklin and Cumberland counties in south-central Pennsylvania. Only 100 acres (40 ha) of the 765,000 acres (309,585 ha) included in the wine appellation are planted to grapevines, predominantly on high terraces over the Potomac River and on the slopes of South Mountain. The soil in the area is alkaline limestone. The Cumberland Valley mainly has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and is mainly in hardiness zone 7a with 6b in some higher areas. The AVA extends from the Potomac to the Susquehanna River.
The Linganore AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in north central Maryland and includes parts of Frederick and Carroll counties. The area is a part of the Piedmont Plateau northwest of Baltimore, a transition area between the mountains to the west and the coastal plain to the east. Linganore has a warm and wet climate, with gravel and loam soils. The hardiness zones are 7a and 6b.
