It’s official: New York State will welcome its tenth American viticultural area (“AVA”) into existence on September 21, 2016! On August 22, 2016, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) published a final rule establishing the Champlain Valley of New York Viticultural Area. This approximately 500-square-mile area in upstate New York is distinguished by its cold climate and short growing season, which are too harsh for most Vitis vinifera varieties but well suited to North American hybrids. The TTB rule takes effect on September 21.

In the wine universe, New York’s star is rising fast. We celebrated the establishment of our 400th winery this April. The state was named Wine Region of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. The national and international awards just keep coming in, the Governor has been a faithful ally of the state’s growing wine industry, and now the Feds might be giving us a new American Viticultural Area (“AVA”). On July 2, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) published a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish the Champlain Valley of New York Viticultural Area. Establishment of this new AVA would give us a total of nine viticultural areas—ten if we count Lake Erie.[1] What’s more, this proposed AVA produces acclaimed wines from grapes that most people haven’t heard of. There’s much more to the Champlain Valley than Riesling!