science

List of American Viticultural Areas

List of American Viticultural Areas is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of American Viticultural Areas rather than just read about it. In short: An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated appellation for American wine in the United States distinguishable by geographic, geologic, and climatic features, with boundaries initially defined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), then in 2003 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the United States Department of the Treasury. As of 2026, there are 280 recognized AVAs in 34…

Key takeaways

List of American Viticultural Areas belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of American Viticultural Areas to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of American Viticultural Areas from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated appellation for American wine in the United States distinguishable by geographic, geologic, and climatic features, with boundaries initially defined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), then in 2003 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the United States Department of the Treasury. As of 2026, there are 280 recognized AVAs in 34 states—several of which are shared by two or more states. Over half (154) of the AVAs are in California. American Viticultural Areas range in size from the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA at 19 million acres (29,900 sq mi) across four states, to the Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino County, California, at only 62 acres (25 ha). The Augusta AVA surrounding the town of Augusta, Missouri, was the first established AVA on June 20, 1980.

Arizona

Sonoita AVA Verde Valley AVA Willcox AVA

Arkansas

Altus AVA Arkansas Mountain AVA Ozark Mountain AVA (shared with Missouri and Oklahoma)

California

Cascade Foothills These AVAs are located in upper northern California, east of Redding.

Inwood Valley AVA Manton Valley AVA

Central Coast These AVAs are included in the geographic boundaries of the Central Coast AVA.

Adelaida District AVA Alisos Canyon AVA Arroyo Grande Valley AVA Arroyo Seco AVA Ballard Canyon AVA Ben Lomond Mountain AVA Carmel Valley AVA Central Coast AVA Chalone AVA Cienega Valley AVA Contra Costa AVA Creston District AVA Edna Valley AVA El Pomar District AVA Gabilan Mountains AVA Hames Valley AVA Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA Lamorinda AVA Lime Kiln Valley AVA Livermore Valley AVA Los Olivos District AVA Monterey AVA Mt. Harlan AVA Pacheco Pass AVA Paicines AVA Paso Robles AVA Paso Robles Estrella District AVA Paso Robles Geneseo District AVA Paso Robles Highlands District AVA Paso Robles Willow Creek District AVA San Antonio Valley AVA San Benito AVA San Bernabe AVA San Francisco Bay AVA San Juan Creek AVA San Lucas AVA San Luis Obispo Coast AVA San Miguel District AVA San Ysidro District AVA Santa Clara Valley AVA Santa Cruz Mountains AVA Santa Lucia Highlands AVA Santa Margarita Ranch AVA Santa Maria Valley AVA Santa Ynez Valley AVA Sta. Rita Hills AVA Templeton Gap District AVA York Mountain AVA

Central Valley Unlike other regions of California, there is no large regional AVA designation that includes the entire Central Valley wine growing region.

Alta Mesa AVA Borden Ranch AVA Capay Valley AVA Clarksburg AVA Clements Hills AVA Cosumnes River AVA Diablo Grande AVA Dunnigan Hills AVA Jahant AVA Lodi AVA Madera AVA Merritt Island AVA Mokelumne River AVA Paulsell Valley AVA River Junction AVA Salado Creek AVA Sloughhouse AVA Squaw Valley-Miramonte AVA Tracy Hills AVA Winters Highlands AVA

Klamath Mountains These AVAs are located in the southern Klamath Mountains of far northwestern California.

Seiad Valley AVA Trinity Lakes AVA Willow Creek AVA

North Coast All of these AVAs are included within the geographic boundaries of the six-county North Coast AVA.

Alexander Valley AVA Anderson Valley AVA Atlas Peak AVA Benmore Valley AVA Bennett Valley AVA Big Valley District-Lake County AVA Calistoga AVA Chalk Hill AVA Chiles Valley AVA Clear Lake AVA Cole Ranch AVA Comptche AVA Coombsville AVA Covelo AVA Crystal Springs of Napa Valley AVA Diamond Mountain District AVA Dos Rios AVA Dry Creek Valley AVA Eagle Peak Mendocino County AVA Fort Ross-Seaview AVA Fountaingrove District AVA Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA Guenoc Valley AVA High Valley AVA Howell Mountain AVA Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA Knights Valley AVA Long Valley-Lake County AVA Los Carneros AVA McDowell Valley AVA Mendocino AVA Mendocino Ridge AVA Moon Mountain District Sonoma County AVA Mt. Veeder AVA Napa Valley AVA North Coast AVA Northern Sonoma AVA Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA Oakville AVA Petaluma Gap AVA Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak AVA Potter Valley AVA Red Hills Lake County AVA Redwood Valley AVA Rockpile AVA Russian River Valley AVA Rutherford AVA Solano County Green Valley AVA Sonoma Coast AVA Sonoma Mountain AVA Sonoma Valley AVA Spring Mountain District AVA St. Helena AVA Stags Leap District AVA Suisun Valley AVA Upper Lake Valley AVA West Sonoma Coast AVA Wild Horse Valley AVA Yorkville Highlands AVA Yountville AVA

Sierra Foothills All of these AVAs are contained entirely within the geographic boundaries of the Sierra Foothills AVA.

California Shenandoah Valley AVA El Dorado AVA Fair Play AVA Fiddletown AVA North Yuba AVA Sierra Foothills AVA

South Coast These AVAs are entirely within the geographic boundaries of the Southern California region.

Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA Cucamonga Valley AVA Leona Valley AVA Malibu Coast AVA Malibu-Newton Canyon AVA Palos Verdes Peninsula AVA Ramona Valley AVA Saddle Rock-Malibu AVA San Luis Rey AVA San Pasqual Valley AVA Sierra Pelona Valley AVA South Coast AVA Tehachapi Mountains AVA Temecula Valley AVA Yucaipa Valley AVA

Colorado

Grand Valley AVA West Elks AVA

Connecticut

Eastern Connecticut Highlands AVA Southeastern New England AVA (shared with Massachusetts and Rhode Island) Western Connecticut Highlands AVA

Georgia

Dahlonega Plateau AVA Upper Hiwassee Highlands AVA (shared with North Carolina)

Hawaii

Ulupalakua AVA

Idaho

Eagle Foothills AVA Lewis-Clark Valley AVA (shared with Washington) Snake River Valley AVA (shared with Oregon)

Illinois

Shawnee Hills AVA Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (shared with Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin)

Indiana

Indiana Uplands AVA Ohio River Valley AVA (shared with Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia)

Iowa

Loess Hills District AVA (shared with Missouri) Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (shared with Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin)

Kentucky

Ohio River Valley AVA (shared with Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia)

Louisiana

Mississippi Delta AVA (shared with Mississippi and Tennessee)

Maryland

Catoctin AVA Cumberland Valley AVA (shared with Pennsylvania) Linganore AVA

Massachusetts

Martha's Vineyard AVA Nashoba Valley AVA Southeastern New England AVA (shared with Connecticut and Rhode Island)

Michigan

Fennville AVA Lake Michigan Shore AVA Leelanau Peninsula AVA Old Mission Peninsula AVA Tip of the Mitt AVA

Minnesota

Alexandria Lakes AVA Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (shared with Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin)

Mississippi

Mississippi Delta AVA (shared with Louisiana and Tennessee)

Missouri

Augusta AVA Hermann AVA Loess Hills District AVA (shared with Iowa) Ozark Highlands AVA Ozark Mountain AVA (shared with Arkansas and Oklahoma)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of American Viticultural Areas

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of American Viticultural Areas claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of American Viticultural Areas before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of American Viticultural Areas ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of American Viticultural Areas

In research: List of American Viticultural Areas appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of American Viticultural Areas in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of American Viticultural Areas is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American Viticultural Areas, United States geography-related lists, Wine-related lists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of American Viticultural Areas outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of American Viticultural Areas in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of American Viticultural Areas means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain List of American Viticultural Areas out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of American Viticultural Areas in simple terms?

Why does List of American Viticultural Areas matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of American Viticultural Areas?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of American Viticultural Areas.