Appellations of Origin, the concept
The concept of viticultural areas did not exist in the United States
before 1978. Prior to that time, wineries complied with vague regulatory
standards that permitted them to use many geographic indications on their
labels. The regulations pertaining to "American Viticultural Areas"
(AVA's) became mandatory on January 1, 1983. By approving an area as an
AVA, the BATF does not endorse the quality of the wine from that area,
it only approves this area as being distinct from other areas, not better.
In addition, AVA regulations do not prescribe wine making practices in
these areas. This means that, contrary to some other wine producing countries,
the winemaker in California is free to plant the varietals he thinks are
best suited for a specific area (the concept of terroir is now well practiced
in California), can irrigate his vineyards if he thinks that is necessary
(in most cases it is), can harvest his grapes when he thinks they are
at their best, and can determine the optimal production per hectare, based
on his own quality standards and quality expectations of his customers.
Ultimately, it is the consumer who decides if the winemaker made all the
right decisions. There are of course strict government regulations governing
the production of wine in California to guarantee high quality, such as
regulations about chaptalizing (addition of sugar during fermentation
is not allowed in California), the use of pesticides in the vineyards,
sanitation procedures, etc.
In the United States, an appellation of origin can be either the name
of:
- a State
- a county (or counties)
- an American Viticultural Area (AVA)
When the appellation of origin is a state (California for example), 100
percent of the grapes in the wine must come from within the state's borders.
Wines with this appellation are often blends of wines from various areas
of the state.
The county appellation (Sonoma for example) is a political subdivision.
Grapes are grown in 37 of California's 58 counties. At least 75 percent
of the grapes in the wine must come from that county. An appellation of
origin comprising 2 or no more than 3 counties may be used on the label
if all of the grapes were grown in the counties indicated, and the percentage
of grapes grown in each county is shown.
An American Viticultural Area (Carmel Valley for example) as appellation
of origin is an area which is distinguished from surrounding areas by
geographical features, such as climate, soil, elevation, physical features
and sometimes historical data. If a wine label mentions an AVA, 85 percent
of the grapes in that wine must come from that area. There are currently
153 areas in the USA recognized by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (BATF) as American Viticultural Areas. The BATF is part of the
Treasury Department and is the primary agency that regulates the alcoholic
beverage industry in the U.S. You will find the 81 AVA's located within
the borders of California at www.wineinstitute.org.
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