New AVA viticultural designation

[Brad Ballinger]

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Federal officials who approved the designation for Alexandria Lakes say it attests only to the unique climate and geography of the 17-square-mile region -- not the quality or distinctiveness of its grapes. Or whether any unique varieties of grapes even exist.

"It's not about the number of wineries or the number of acres in cultivation," said Nancy Sutton of the Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which recognizes 161 distinct wine regions in the United States. "The question is, can they prove they're a unique viticultural area?"

Alexandria Lakes' application two years ago was based on a microclimate that is slightly warmer and drier than the rest of the state, Treasury records show.

I excerpted the above text to show that AVA designations do not have to take the quality of the final product into account whatsoever. Seems like just about any region that wants to can "go for it" to get an AVA designation.

The wines made by the winery in the article include apple wine from orchards in the AVA, but also include wines made from cabernet sauvignon and other grapes trucked in from California.