Wine region | |
Type | American Viticultural Area |
---|---|
Year established | 1984 [1] |
Country | United States |
Part of | Arizona |
Other regions in Arizona | Willcox AVA, Verde Valley AVA |
Climate region | subtropical/arid/semi-arid |
Total area | 208,000 acres (84,200 ha) [2] |
Grapes produced | Aglianico, Albarino,Counoise,Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Merlot, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Pinot noir, Riesling,Sagrantino,Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, Zinfandel [3] |
The Sonoita AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeast Arizona, south of the city of Tucson. The Sonoita area is a basin surrounded by four mountain ranges, the Huachuca Mountains, the Santa Rita Mountains, the Mustang Mountains, and the Whetstone Mountains. The vineyard plantings are 4,500 to 5,000 feet (1,400 to 1,500 m) above sea level, some of the highest in North America. The soil is alluvial fans of gravelly loam that retains scarce water well. [3]
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 908 as of 2021.
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.
The Applegate Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Rogue Valley AVA, which is itself included within the larger Southern Oregon AVA. The region is named for the Applegate River, which flows through the town of Applegate and near the city of Jacksonville. The Applegate Valley has been a grape-growing region since 1870 when A. H. Carson began planting 30 acres of grapes along North Applegate Road. One of Oregon's first wineries was established in the Applegate Valley. This region contains vineyards at altitudes ranging from 1,000 feet (300 m) to 1,500 feet (500 m) above sea level, and is warmer and drier than the Illinois Valley to the west, but less so than the Bear Creek Valley to the east. Grapes that thrive here include Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tannat, Vermentino, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel.
The Dundee Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and is approximately 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Portland, near the towns of Dundee and Dayton. The area is 6,940 acres (2,809 ha) in total size, with 1,300 acres (526 ha) planted with grapes. The Dundee Hills are a north-south oriented line of hills on the western side of the Willamette River valley. The soil is red in color, rich in iron, relatively infertile, making it suitable for grape cultivation. The region gets 30 inches (76 cm) to 45 inches (114 cm) of rainfall per year. The Chehalem Mountains to the north protect the region from the cool breezes that enter Willamette Valley from the Columbia Gorge. Over 25 wineries and independent vineyards in this region produce over 44,000 cases of wine.
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 Ribbon Ridge AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Yamhill County, Oregon. It is the smallest AVA in Oregon and is entirely contained within the Chehalem Mountains AVA, which in turn is entirely contained within the larger Willamette Valley AVA. Ribbon Ridge stretches between the towns of Newberg and Gaston. The ridge is defined by local geographic boundaries and an uplift of ocean sediment. It lies at 45° 21' N latitude and 123° 04' W longitude, at the northwest end of the Chehalem Mountains. Colby Carter, an early settler from Missouri, named Ribbon Ridge in 1865, and the ridge has been known by that name ever since. The first official use of the Ribbon Ridge name dates to 1888 with the creation of Ribbon Ridge School District No. 68. The ridge is approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) wide and 3.50 miles (5.63 km) long, and is 3,350 acres (1,356 ha) in area, with 500 acres (202 ha) planted on 20 vineyards. It is estimated that between 1,000 acres (405 ha) and 1,400 acres (567 ha) in the region is suitable for planting.
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.
The North Fork of Roanoke AVA is an American Viticultural Area located on the eastern slopes of the Allegheny Mountains in the Roanoke and Montgomery counties of Virginia. About 22 miles (35 km) long and including parts of the Roanoke Valley, the AVA altitudes range from between 1,200 feet (366 m) and 2,200 feet (671 m) above sea level.
The Rocky Knob AVA is an American Viticultural Area in a mountainous area east of the Blue Ridge Parkway in southwest Virginia. The AVA includes portions of Floyd and Patrick counties. The area is located on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the towns of Woolwine and Meadows of Dan and astride the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was established in 1983 and encompasses 9,000 acres (36 km2). The soil is primarily loam and gravel and is well-drained. Rocky Knob AVA was named for the eponymously named mountainous recreational area located within the AVA.
The San Francisco Bay AVA is a large American Viticultural Area centered on the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. The San Francisco Bay AVA includes the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo as well as parts of Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. The AVA was established by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in 1999 and encompasses over 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km2). The AVA falls within the larger Central Coast AVA and contains five designated sub-region AVAs within its boundaries; Lamorinda AVA, Livermore Valley AVA, Pacheco Pass AVA, San Ysidro District AVA, and Santa Clara Valley AVA.
The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is an American Viticultural Area centered on the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its territory expands three California counties, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. Established in 1981 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Santa Cruz Mountains AVA was among the first to be defined by its mountain topography. Based on elevation, it largely follows the fog line along the coast, extending down to 800 feet (240 m) on the eastern slope toward San Francisco Bay, 400 feet (120 m) on the western slope to the Pacific Ocean and extending toward the ridgecrests at 3000+ feet elevation.
The Sonoma Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California which centers on the Sonoma Valley in the southern portion of the county. The name 'Sonoma' means 'Valley of the Moon' in the local Native American dialect. The appellation is bordered by two mountain ranges: the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west.
The Howell Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA of California.
The Texas Davis Mountains AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. Surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert, the appellation takes advantage of cooler elevation and lower annual rainfall in the Davis Mountains. The land within the boundaries of the AVA ranges between 4,500 feet (1,372 m) and 8,300 feet (2,530 m) above sea level. The soil is primarily granitic, porphyritic, and volcanic in nature. The hardiness zones are 7b and 8a.
The Bell Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Gillespie County, Texas. It was the first designated wine area located entirely in the state of Texas, and covers an area of over 3,200 acres (5 sq mi). The appellation is entirely contained within the Texas Hill Country AVA, which was established nine years after Bell Mountain AVA. As of 2006, there were nine wineries in the appellation.
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 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 Arkansas Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas. It is part of the larger Ozark Mountain AVA, which also includes regions in Missouri and Oklahoma. The smaller Altus AVA is entirely contained within the Arkansas Mountain AVA. The Arkansas Mountain AVA includes 2,880,000 acres (1,165,000 ha), making it the ninth largest AVA as of 2008.