Some Fun Facts about Winery AVAs

Last time we looked at American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and how their distinguishing features are set up to define unique wine-growing regions. But AVAs are different, and more specific, then a wine appellation.

An appellation is a geographical way of organizing where the grapes are grown. For example, Sonoma Valley is an appellation. But, within the appellation, there may be several AVAs (i.e., Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, etc.).

Here are some AVA Fun Facts:

• When a petition is filed to create a new AVA, it has to include detailed descriptions of the features that distinguish the proposed AVA from the surrounding regions and and how it effects grapes are grown, along with evidence to support the claims of these distinctive feature.

•  If a wine label states a specific AVA, then at least 85% of the grapes must have come from that region.  

• Unlike many European wine growing regions, there are no restrictions on the type of grape that must be grown within each AVA.

• AVAs can reside entirely within a single-state or cross over multi-states. Multi-state AVAs include the Columbia Valley, Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley that are shared between Oregon and Washington but there are many others across the U.S. There are two multi-state AVA that include parts of four states - the Ohio River Valley AVA (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia) and the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin).

• The AVA system was set up in the United States in 1980.

• As of August 2020, there were 267 established AVAs in the United States.

• The first U.S. AVA was the Augusta AVA in Missouri that was established in June 1980.

• The latest AVA to be added is the Gabilan Mountains AVA in California’s Central Coast. It was added on August 15, 2022.

• California has the most AVAs, with 147.

• Many new AVAs are proposed and pending across the U.S. For a full listing, see the TTB website.

Ever Wonder? What is an AVA?

There are so many wine terms, acronyms and abbreviations that can be quite confusing. And, wine labels are often a place where this confusion is on display.

In the U.S., the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which is part of the Treasury, is responsible for regulating the wine industry. Wine labeling is one of the topics they regulate.

Per the TTB’s guidance “An American viticultural area (AVA) is a type of appellation specific to grape wine. It is a defined grape-growing region having a name, distinguishing features, and a delineated boundary…” That’s a lot of words to say that an AVA is a unique wine-growing region.

So, an AVA is not just a wine growing region, it is a very specific wine growing region. And, their words “distinguishing features” are key to defining an AVA.

At first, one might assume that a Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a Cabernet Sauvignon grape no matter where it is grown. And, while that is basically true, there are subtle nuances that make a Cabernet Sauvignon grape grown in Napa Valley different than one grown in Arizona. The interaction of the soil, climate, topography and grape variety in a specific site, imprints the wine and making of each wine with specific unique characteristics. And, the wine world refers to this concept as the “terroir” (te-war). That is, specific geographic or climatic features of a wine growing region will distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown.

So, an AVA is an American Viticultural Area that has unique grape-growing characteristics.

Next time, we’ll explore some fun facts about AVAs such as wine labeling requirements, how AVAs get created and how many there are in the U.S. Until then, cheers!

The Major French Wine Regions and the Grape Varieties Used to Produce Their Wines

French wine can be so confusing since most French wines identify the region in which they are produced on the label and usually don’t show the grape varietal used to make the wine.

So, here are several of the major wine regions in France and the grapes used in their wines:

Alsace: Wines of this region include Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. Contrary to most of France, wine labels on Alsace wines list the grapes used.

Bordeaux: The Gironde Estuary divides the Bordeaux region into the Right Bank and the Left Bank. The Bordeaux region produces nearly 90% red wines that are usually blends. The Right Bank is dominated by Merlot while the Left Bank is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. Additionally, their red wine blends may include Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère. In January of 2021, the governing body in Bordeaux allowed four new red varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Castets, and Arinarnoa. But, these grapes may only account for five percent of the planted vineyard area, and a maximum of ten percent of a wine blend.

Burgundy: A red Burgundy is a Pinot Noir while a white Burgundy is a Chardonnay.

Beaujolais: While considered its own growing region, Beaujolais is also considered part of Burgundy. This region produces wines from the Gamay grape. Legally, most producers may use up to 15% of white varieties in the blend, but almost all the region's red wine is 100% Gamay.  Less than 2% of Beaujolais wine are white, being produced with Chardonnay.

 Chablis: All white wines produced in Chablis are made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape.

Champagne: The Champagne region is best known for their sparkling wine which is most commonly produced by blending Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

Languedoc-Rousillon: This region is best known for Grenache and Carignan blends.

Loire Valley: More than half of the Loire Valley wines are white, mostly from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc grapes. Red wines are produced from the Cabernet Franc grape.

Provence: This region produces crisp, dry roses and red blends. The grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Vernentino (a.k.a. Rolle).

Rhone Valley: The red wines from the Rhône Valley are focused on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes and commonly a blend of the three which is often referred to as GSM.  The white wines may include Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc.

The New Grapes to be Included in Bordeaux Wine Blends

There are many different types of grapes grown in Bordeaux and used in their famous wines.

In the past, there were just six varietals allowed for making red wine in Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carménre. White wines were limited to the use of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle, Sauvignon Gris, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Mauzac, and Ondenc.

But in January of 2021, the governing body in Bordeaux allowed four new red varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Marselan, Castets, and Arinarnoa, as well as two white varieties, Alvarinho and Liliorila. This was done to give more viticultural options to grape growers to address climate change and combat less hospitable conditions. The new grapes will be listed officially as "new varieties of interest for adapting to climate change". This puts them third in the hierarchy behind "major" and "additional" grapes in official documents. This status will again be reviewed in 2031.

Under current restrictions, usage of the new varieties is limited. They may only account for five percent of the planted vineyard area, and a maximum of ten percent of a wine blend. Because of France's wine labeling regulations, these new varieties will not appear on Bordeaux labels. So, these changes to battle climate change will go relatively unnoticed for now.

Although you may not notice any real change in Bordeaux wine blends, they are changing as the world’s climate is changing. Cheers!

A Break from Tradition in Italy: The Super Tuscan Wines

Much like France, Italy has a long tradition of wine. In the 1960s, Italy formalized their wine appellation system modeled after the French system. Under this system, each wine region in Italy was required to operate under strict rules for the types of grapes they were allowed to grow and how their wines were to be produced.

Under this system, native Italian grapes were required to be used in Italian wines. These native grapes included Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Montepulciano. But these regulations were quickly criticized as being overly restrictive and led small groups to push-back against them. By the end of the ’60s, these groups were producing wine blends with non-native grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

But, these producers of wines using non-native Italian grapes were forced to bottle their wines using the generic title of Vino da Tavola (Table Wine) that is associated with Italy’s lowest-quality wines. Instead of settling for this, they chose to unofficially call their wines “Super Tuscans” so as to distinguish them from inexpensive table wines.

Finally, in 1992, the Italian government created a new wine classification called “Toscana IGT” for these Super Tuscan wine blends.

Many fine examples of Super Tuscans come from the region of Maremma, on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast in the southwest of Tuscany. Look for several in the next Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week feature. Cheers!