American wine

An American Viticultural Area, AVA for short, is a delimited wine-growing area with its own geographical or climatic characteristics that distinguish it from its surroundings. The federal regulator TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) recognises these areas and maintains the list of boundaries.

An AVA says something about origin, not about grape varieties, yield or ageing. What may appear on the label is set out in separate federal rules on grape variety, origin and vintage year; these are explained below. Areas can overlap or lie within one another: Napa Valley itself contains 17 smaller AVAs, such as Oakville, Rutherford and Calistoga.

The label follows percentages set out in the federal rules (27 CFR part 4). If a single grape variety is stated, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, at least 75 percent of the wine comes from that grape. For grapes of the Vitis labrusca species and for varieties the TTB has designated as highly distinctive, 51 percent applies, with the percentage on the label.

For origin the following applies: for a country, state or county at least 75 percent of the wine comes from that area. For an AVA it is at least 85 percent. A vintage year on the label requires at least 95 percent grapes from that harvest year for an AVA, and 85 percent for other designations of origin. If several grapes are named, the percentage of each grape must be stated.

According to the Wine Institute, California produces on average 81 percent of all wine in the United States. In 2024 that amounted to more than 508 million gallons out of a national total of almost 648 million gallons.

Other states also make wine, but the chance is great that an American bottle comes from California. The label then often says California as state of origin, or a smaller area such as Monterey, Carmel Valley or Napa Valley. The smaller the area named, the stricter the percentage: 75 percent for the state or county, 85 percent for an AVA.

Napa Valley was the first AVA to be recognized in California, in 1981. That is reported by Napa Valley Vintners, the association of wineries in the valley.

The area is small: Napa Valley supplies about 4 percent of the Californian grape harvest. According to the same association, almost 95 percent of the wineries there are family-owned. Within Napa Valley lie 17 smaller AVAs, including Atlas Peak, Oakville, Rutherford, Yountville and Calistoga. A winery that puts Napa Valley on the label must comply with the federal 85 percent rule. A bottle with one of the smaller names, for example Rutherford, also falls within Napa Valley, because that smaller area lies entirely within it.

In the shop there are American wines from six houses. From Kendall-Jackson there are Vintner’s Reserve wines of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. La Crema is there with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Monterey. Bernardus comes from Carmel Valley in Monterey, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and the Marinus; one of these wines is also available as a magnum of 1.5 litres.

Freemark Abbey is there with a Chardonnay from Napa Valley. From Andrew Quady, Elysium Black Muscat and Essensia are on the shelf, and there is also wine from Gravelly Ford. Would you like to know which bottle suits a dinner or a gift? Call us or drop by at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.