Author(s):
John D Boyer, B.S, M.S.* - Virginia Tech
Abstract:
The establishment of the American Viticultural Areas (AVA) program of the U. S. Department of Treasury in 1978 was supposed to become the US equivalent of the AOC-style systems of classic Europe, whose emphasis on quality control and strict geographic labeling has been the world standard for regional wine identification. With almost 200 officially recognized AVA's now in existence, most of which are on the West Coast, the concept is still not widely embraced in the eastern US—and any strong sense of regional identity based on variety, style, or quality levels is also lacking. However, 'wine trials' and 'wine roads' have proliferated greatly in the last decade, and appear to be the marketing and promotional tool of choice, both for producers and consumers. From wine polygons to wine lines, this paper will focus on the historical evolution and subsequent devolution of the wine region/AVA in eastern US and the rise of trails as the new geographic unit of wine identity.
