Wine region | |
![]() The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA in NW Illinois, NE Iowa, SE Minnesota and SW Wisconsin. | |
Type | American Viticultural Area |
---|---|
Year established | 2009[1] |
Country | United States |
Part of | Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin |
Sub-regions | Lake Wisconsin AVA[1] |
Climate region | Continental |
Soil conditions | Limestone underneath silt loam and clay[2] |
Total area | 29,914 square miles (19,144,960 acres)[2] |
Grapes produced | Marechal Foch, Frontenac, Saint Croix, Chardonel, Edelweiss[2] |
The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area covering 29,914 square miles (77,477 km2; 19,144,960 acres) located along the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries in northwest Illinois, northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. Certified by the United States Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on July 22, 2009, it is the largest AVA in the United States.[1][3] The AVA encompasses an area 50 times larger than the Bordeaux wine regions of France.[4][5]