Lake Erie AVA

Lake Erie AVA
Wine region
Type American Viticultural Area
Year established 1983[1]
Country United States
Part of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania
Sub-regions Grand River Valley AVA
Climate region Continental
Total area 2,236,800 acres (905,200 ha)[2]
Size of planted vineyards 42,000 acres (17,000 ha)[3]
Grapes produced Aurore, Auxerrois, Baco noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Catawba, Cayuga, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonnay, Concord, De Chaunac, Delaware, Diamond, Edelweiss, Fredonia, Gewurztraminer, Ives noir, Lemberger, Leon Millot, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Niagara, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Seyval blanc, Steuben, Touriga Nacional, Traminette, Vidal blanc, Vignoles[3]

The Lake Erie AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes 2,236,800 acres (905,200 ha) of land on the south shore of Lake Erie in the U.S. states of Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania. Over 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of the region are planted in grapevines, predominantly in the Concord grape variety.

Grapes were first cultivated in the area in the early 19th century, and many wineries survived Prohibition in the 20th century by legally selling grapes to home winemakers, marketing their products solely for religious purposes such as kosher wines (which continues to the present day), converting to grape juice production for local companies such as Welch's, or illegally selling wine to consumers in Canada. The wine industry in the Lake Erie region did not thrive after the repeal of Prohibition, however, and by 1967 there were fewer than 20 commercial wineries in the area. Recently, Lake Erie wineries have begun planting and vinifying Vitis vinifera varieties in an attempt to improve wine quality.[3]

The region has a humid continental climate and is in hardiness zones 6a and 6b.

References

  1. Code of Federal Regulations. "§ 9.83 Lake Erie." Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2008.
  2. Wine Institute, The (2008). "American Viticultural Areas by State". Retrieved Feb. 5, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 Appellation America (2007). "Lake Erie (AVA): Appellation Description". Retrieved Feb. 5, 2008.

Coordinates: 42°0′N 80°26′W / 42.000°N 80.433°W / 42.000; -80.433


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.