Abbreviation for "American Viticultural Area" (also "Approved Viticultural Area"), the appellation system used in the USA. It was introduced at the insistence of Californian grape growers in particular. This was because the classification system developed in California in the 1940s according to climate zones had proved to be ineffective. From 1970 onwards, all US states were examined with regard to their geographical characteristics by the BATF (today TTB = Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) on behalf of the US federal government. This was, for example, the suitability of certain regions for a certain grape variety. Then, in 1978, some geographical areas were classified for the first time, thus creating the conditions for a system of origin according to the French Appellation d'Origine Protégée. The first systems, which were still very inconsistent, were oriented towards political state or county borders.
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Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden