American Viticutural Areas (AVA) is the system of designating and controlling the geography of grapes grown for wines produced in the United States.

Introduction

According to Federal Regulations, only wines that derive 85% or more of their content from within the boundaries of a designated AVA may use that AVA name to label the wine. That is, a viticultural area for American wine is a "delimited grape growing region distinguishable by geographical features, the boundaries of which have been recognized and defined in part 9 of ... CFR." A wine may only be labeled with an approved viticultural area if not less than 85% of the wine is derived from grapes grown within the boundaries of the viticultural area and it has been fully finished within the state or one of the states in which the viticultural area is located.

The wine must also have been made to "conform to the laws and regulations of the named appellation area governing the composition, method of manufacture, and designation of wines made in such place." This clause protects and defers to the authority of each State to regulate methods of wine production.

Unlike their counterparts in Europe, American winemakers are not bound by a set of viticultural and vinification rules within their given AVA. American vineyards and wineries are free to plant whichever grape varieties in whatever manner they choose. Conversely, the vineyard owner in Bordeaux or Burgundy is limited, by law, in plantings, vine density, yield, vinification techniques and other wine producing parameters, if they wish to include their appellation of origin on their labels.

The AVA designation is different than the term "terroir" that is also used to desribe a wine. Terrior is a combination of factors that makes a wine uniquely from a particular place. The factors generally are: variety, soil, climate, annual weather conditions, viticultural practices and vinification practices.

Intitial Designation - Appellation

Wine is entitled to an appellation of origin if "at least 75 percent of its volume is derived from fruit or agricultural products grown in the place or region indicated by such appellation" and if it has been fully manufactured or finished within the state of the place or region. Under U.S. regulations (specifically 27 CFR 4.25), an appellation of origin is:

• A country
• A U.S. county or the foreign equivalent
• For U.S. wine, a listing of up to 3 counties (multi-county appellation)
• A U.S. or foreign government recognized delimited grape-growing area (referred to as a “viticultural area” under U.S. regulations). For more infotrmation, see the TTB Website here.

Many appellation boundaries are easy to understand. In the case of California or Sonoma County, legal boundaries or borders are used. When it comes to sub-appellations other factors are considered.

Sub-appellation boundaries are defined by similar climatic conditions, soil types and weather patterns, or what the French call terroir. Variations in terroir contribute to different flavors in the same grape variety grown in different regions. Zinfandel grown in Dry Creek Valley typically has a different aroma and flavor profile than a Zinfandel grown in Russian River Valley or Alexander Valley.

Differences in Following Designations
For a winemaker to put the name of a state, county, viticultural area or vineyard on their wine label, a certain percentage of the grapes must have been grown in the specified area. The percentage varies for each geographical unit, as follows:

• To list a state name on the label, 75% of grapes must be from that state, except for California, which requires 100% of the grapes to be grown in California.   
• To put a county name on the label, 75% of the grapes must be from the county. 
• To put more than one county on the label, all grapes must be grown in the counties specified.
• For a label to include the name of an American Viticultural Area (A.V.A.), 85% of grapes grown in the A.V.A. ( below is an interactive list).  Keep in mind, however, that some of the A.V.A's are can span for hundreds of miles across several states (Ohio River Valley A.V.A.) or across a single state (the Central Coast A.V.A. in California).
• When the label contains the name of a vineyard, ranch, orchard, or farm, 95% of the grapes must have been grown in that place.  The AVA will also be on the label so you can determine the rough location of the "Rocky Top Vineyard," or whatever is listed.

Further Designations

• Use of the term "Estate Bottled" on a label signifies that all (100%) grape growing and wine-making activity occurred within the same A.V.A. (27 CFR §4.26).  In this case, the winemaker's city will be within the A.V.A. 
• The use of the terms "produced by", "bottled by", "packed by", which appear on the label are governed by 27 CFR §4.35, and generally means exactly as it is written.

First AVA
The very first AVA, approved in 1980 was Augusta, Missouri. An AVA can be quite large and encompass portions of several states, such as the largest 26,000-square-mile, 16.5 million-acre Ohio River Valley AVA that includes parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The smallest is the Cole Ranch AVA, which occupies a mere 150 acres and less than a quarter square mile of Mendocino County, California.

U.S. Agency Overseeing AVAs
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 split the functions of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) into two parts. The part of ATF that handles firearms and explosives was moved to the Department of Justice. The part that handles taxes for alcohol and tobacco was kept at the Department of the Treasury. The new agency at the Department of the Treasury was named the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau or TTB. The agency that oversees the creation and adjustment of the AVA system is the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), a division of the US Treasury Department. The minimum cost to establish an AVA is about $15,000. Applicants must provide proof of geographic and climatic significance and historical precedent for wine production, in addition to suggesting and mapping the boundaries. An AVA is not a grade of quality, it merely allows the producers and consumers to differentiate and authenticate the growing areas. Debate continues among winemakers about precisely how useful AVAs are in helping consumers assess the quality of the wines they are buying.

How does an AVA get established?
Any person may petition TTB for the establishment of a viticultural area. No TTB forms are necessary. The petition should be in letter form, and should include:

1. Evidence that the area is known by the proposed name;
2. Historical or current evidence that the proposed boundaries of the viticultural area are correct;
3. Evidence that the geographical features of the area produce growing conditions which distinguish the proposed area from surrounding areas;
4. A narrative description of the boundaries based on features which can be found on United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) maps of the largest applicable scale; and
5. A copy of the appropriate U.S.G.S. map(s) with the boundaries marked in any prominent color.  These maps are sold by commercial dealers and by the U.S.G.S. (1-800-HELP-MAP or http://www.usgs.gov/ ).

A viticultural area should be based on features that affect the growing conditions of the area (climate, soil, elevation, physical features). A viticultural area may extend across political boundaries, and there is no maximum or minimum size for a viticultural area. However, the entire area should possess a unifying feature that distinguishes it from surrounding areas, and the evidence submitted with the petition should show this contrast.

The narrative description of the boundaries should be detailed enough so someone with the same U.S.G.S. maps could draw the viticultural area's boundaries by following the description. Political boundaries, survey lines, constructed features (such as roads), contour lines, and any other such features may be used as boundaries where they reasonably coincide with the actual geographical or viticultural limits of an area.

On receipt of a petition for establishment of a new viticultural area, the Regulations Division in ATF Headquarters reviews the petition and may contact the petitioner for more information. Once the petition is complete, ATF publishes a notice of proposed rulemaking and provides an opportunity for interested persons to comment on the proposal. If the petition, evidence and comments support establishment of the area, ATF publishes a final rule which amends the regulations to define the new viticultural area. For more information on the viticultural area approval process, contact the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Regulations Division, 650 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC 20226, voice telephone, (202) 927-8210, fax, (202) 927-8525.  

United States Regulations
Complicating even more the right to use geographic terms on wine and spirits, the Federal Alcohol Administration Act ("FAAA") sets forth labeling requirements for distilled spirits, wines and malt beverages. The FAAA prohibits labels or advertising that are false and misleading or will deceive consumers. The FAAA authorizes the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ("ATF") to promulgate regulations that govern extensively the use of geographic terms as product names for wine.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
TITLE 27--Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms
CHAPTER I--ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
SUBCHAPTER A--LIQUORS

PART 9--AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREAS

Subpart C - Approved American Viticultural Areas
Interactive Chart - (Click the headers to sort the chart accordingly)