The United States is vast and sparsely populated. From the Pacific coast of California to the mountains of Oregon to Long Island in New York, different wine producing regions have their own unique geographical locations, which makes American wines extremely diverse and rich in flavor. In addition, unlike the old world wine producing countries that follow traditional winemaking techniques, American wines do not stick to traditions and boldly try different grape varieties and winemaking methods, making them unique in the international market.
Of course, the reason why the American wine industry has developed so rapidly is not only this, but also a very important reason, that is, the full assistance of the United States to the industry.
American AVA Wine Origin System
In fact, in addition to fully assisting wine production in grape planting and winemaking methods, the U.S. government also borrowed from the French wine classification system to implement American Viticultural Areas, which is often referred to as the AVA system.
The AVA system is formulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) based on the French wine classification system. The AVA system mainly divides the country's wine-producing regions based on geography and climate, and does not involve the regulation of grape varieties, planting, and brewing methods.
According to the TTB regulations, the production area marked on the wine label needs to meet two requirements:
a. 85% of the grapes must come from the indicated origin;
b. Varietal wines must be made from at least 75% of the indicated varietal grapes.
Other than that, there are no other strict restrictions. However, it should be noted that if the wine industry adds information to the wine label, it must abide by the basic rules of precision, such as:
Single Vineyard wine must use at least 95% of the grapes produced in the vineyard. If the word "Estate Bottled" is used, the winery and vineyards must be within the marked AVA production area, and the operator must own or control the marked vineyards.
Where the harvest year is marked on the wine label, 95% of the grapes used should be harvested in this year.
In addition, the laws of different states in the United States will increase some requirements. For example, California stipulates that California wine must be made from 100% California grapes. Oregon law requires that any wine labeled as Oregon origin must be made from 100% grapes from the designated region.
In general, the establishment of the AVA system is not only an important system to distinguish the characteristics of different wine-producing regions, but also helps consumers better understand the story and flavor of American wine, and provides wine lovers with more exploration and experience Chance.
