Niagara Escarpment AVA

Created: 2005

Size: 18,000 acres total (7,284 ha)

Climate: Cool continental

Soils: Free-draining, infertile gravelly limestone

First planted: mid-19th century

Number of wineries: 22

This AVA sits right next to Niagara Falls, from which it derives its name. Vines here are planted between 400 and 600 feet altitude. Outside this range, frost and cool air make it nearly impossible to ripen grapes. Nearby Lake Ontario’s lake effect creates warm air circulation during the critical late-summer ripening period, and this warm air is trapped by the escarpment, allowing grapes in zone long growing seasons and the capacity to ripen.

Abundant rainfall necessitates well-drained soils to limit vines’ water uptake, and therefore limit yield. This results in more concentration of flavors and phenolic compounds in the grapes. This combination of circumstances creates grapes with excellent winemaking potential, and wines from this region are quickly becoming recognized for their high quality.

Native and hybrid grapes have long been widely planted in this region. More recently, cool-climate V. vinifera vines have increasingly been planted with a great deal of success. Today, the Niagara, Concord, and Catawba vines are grown alongside Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and many German varieties. Dry white and red wines are made here, as are genuine ice wines.

Lake Erie AVA

Created: 1983

Size: 40,000 acres planted (18,000 ha)

Climate: Cool continental, high humidity

Soils: Sand and gravel topsoil over deep clay, fertile

First planted: 1840

Number of wineries: 58

This is a large region (the largest grape-growing region east of the Rockies) that spans the three states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and includes the 18 US islands in Lake Erie. Shallow Lake Erie’s proximity creates a lake effect here, lengthening the growing season and allowing ripening of vinifera grapes. Vines are generally safe from spring frost due to cold winds keeping the temperatures down and therefore delaying budburst until weather threats have passed.

Complex soils here are the result of glaciations slowly carving the landscape. Glacial deposits form the topsoil, allowing for good drainage. Many mesoclimates are available to vineyards due to the sculpted environment, and sought-after southern facing slopes offer warmer locations with plenty of sunlight hours.

Lake Erie AVA is the land of the Concord grape, which was introduced in the mid-1800s and has dominated the landscape ever since. Many wineries here sustained themselves through Prohibition by selling grapes to home winemakers (and selling some illegally to Canada), producing sacramental wines, and making grape juice from their Concords for Welch’s. Today Concord still dominates production along with a handful of other native and hybrid varieties, but cold-hardy V. vinifera grapes are increasingly being planted and quality improvements are being seen. Riesling has been the most successful vinifera grape thus far.

The Finger Lakes AVAs

Created: 1982 (Finger Lakes), 1988 (Cayuga Lake), 2003 (Seneca Lake)

Size: 11,000 acres planted (4,452 ha)

Climate: Cool continental

Soils: Deep glacial deposits, very mixed

First planted: 1829

Number of wineries: 103

The Finger Lakes AVA is one of the most successful AVAs in the Northeast. The deep glacial lakes mitigate the cold climate of the vineyard areas, releasing stored heat during the winter and preventing early spring frost. Steep hillside plots receive excellent sunlight exposure and benefit from winds due to the lake effect as well. Abundant rainfall can result in high disease pressure, so vineyard management techniques are very important to produce high quality fruit. Today wines of exceptional quality are coming from the Finger Lakes and gaining recognition in the United States and on the international market.

Within the Finger Lakes AVA are many subregions, two of which have been awarded their own AVA status: Seneca Lake AVA and Cayuga Lake AVA. Cayuga was recognized first, in 1988, and currently has 460 acres of vineyards planted predominately with Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris. Seneca Lake, the deepest of the Finger Lakes, earned AVA status in 2003 and now has 3,700 acres planted.

Vineyards in the Finger Lakes were originally planted with native and hybrid varieties. This began to change with the arrival of Dr. Konstantin Frank, who believed this region could rival the great German Riesling appellations. After showing V. vinifera could grow and ripen in the Finger Lakes, Dr. Frank planted Riesling along with other cool-climate vinifera varieties. Dr. Frank’s winery inspired others to do the same, and today the region is thriving. Native and hybrids can still be found, but the Finger Lakes AVA proudly produces a large amount of vinifera wines from Riesling, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, and many aromatic white varieties, and today is also having success with Bordeaux varieties.

Champlain Valley of New York AVA

Created: 2016

Size: 500 acres planted (202 ha)

Climate: Cool continental

Soils: Deep glacial deposits, very mixed

First planted: 1970s (though V. riparia was growing wild here before)

Number of wineries: 6

This AVA exists solely in New York, though Lake Champlain’s vineyards continue on into Vermont (without an AVA). The vineyards and wineries in the Champlain Valley are planted on deep calcareous clays, the result of ancient seas that filled the valleys. Glacial activity exposed these calcium-rich soils, also creating a mosaic of mesoclimates in the region.

The Champlain Valley specializes in cold-hardy varieties, such as Marquette, LaCrescent, and Frontenac, many of them developed at the University of Minnesota specifically to handle cold climates. In the 1970s growers began planting grapes in earnest here, and by the 1990s high-quality and disease resistant grapes were developed that could thrive in this rather extreme area. Quality is continuing to improve today, and interesting wines are coming out of this new AVA.

Hudson River Region AVA

Created: 1982

Size: 500 acres planted (202 ha)

Climate: Cool continental

Soils: Glacial deposits made up of shale, schist, slate and limestone

First planted: early 1800s

Number of wineries: 30

This AVA is home to the oldest continuously active winery in the US (the Brotherhood Winery, established in 1839), as well as the oldest commercial vineyard in America. Most vineyards today are planted along the right bank of the Hudson River. The Hudson’s orientation helps to funnel marine breezes between the vineyard rows. Increasing land prices here and urbanization are threatening this AVA as housing has expanded into the vineyards.

Though this is a cool region, summers can be warm and humid. Disease pressure is high and fully organic viticulture is difficult to achieve. Freezing winters force winegrowers to mound up dirt around the bases of the vines, and late pruning, which delays bud burst and helps to avoid risk of spring frost, is practiced.

French hybrids like Baco Noir, Seyval Blanc, and Vidal Blanc, native V. labrusca vines like Concord and Delaware, and cold-hardy V. vinifera vines such as Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc make up most wine production. Quality is improving, and some interesting wines are beginning to hit the market from this region.

Long Island’s AVAs

Created: 2001 (Long Island), 1985 (The Hamptons, Long Island), 1986 (North Fork of Long Island)

Size: 749,146 acres (303,169 ha)

Climate: Moderate maritime with high humidity

Soils: Mainly loams and silts

First planted: 1973

Number of wineries: 57

The Long Island AVA was created in 2001, 15+ years after the two smaller appellations on Long Island were created. It was developed to allow wineries outside the two smaller appellations, or wineries wishing to blend grapes from the two smaller appellations, use of an AVA.

The soils and climate on Long Island are unique in New York. The North Fork is heavily influenced by three bodies of water: Long Island Sound, Peconic Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. Soils here are Haven loam and Riverhead sandy loam, two types of infertile fine sandy loam and loess mixes that are well-drained. Haven loams have a bit more clay, and therefore more water holding capacity. The South Fork, where The Hamptons AVA is located, has more of an influence from the Atlantic as well as Peconic Bay. It is cooler and foggier than the North Fork. Soils here are different from those of the North Fork: this region was created by a different glaciation. The silty loam here is less well-drained than those of the North Fork, and is said to give a lighter, more elegant character to the wines. Most wineries are concentrated in the North Fork due to exceedingly high land prices of the South Fork.

The long growing season and mild seasons on Long Island provided by the influence from large bodies of water allows ripening of a wide array of V. vinifera grapes. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay reign as the top white grapes, while elegant, fruit-driven reds are produced from the classic Bordeaux grapes. Long Island’s Merlot, in particular, has garnered wide praise recently, and its Cabernet Sauvignons have also gained recognition. A well-organized sustainability effort and cooperative marketing have driven Long Island’s rapid ascent into the spotlight. This region is producing quality wines that can hold their own against famous regions from around the world.