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New AVA takes in four US states

Published:  14 July, 2009

A giant new American Viticultural Area the size of Denmark comes into being next week.

A giant new American Viticultural Area the size of Denmark comes into being next week.

The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA covers almost 30,000 square miles and takes in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The area was historically home to tobacco farms but is increasingly being used for viticulture - a form of agriculture which largely died out in the 20th century.

French red hybrids Marechal Foch, Frontenac, and Saint Croix and white varieties Edelweiss, La Crosse, and Chardonel are grown in the area, which has a huge diversity of soil types but is generally cool climate.

The AVA regulations stipulate that at least 85% of the wine in the bottle must come from the area.

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