The Lake Erie AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes 2,236,800 acres (3,495 sq mi) of land on the south shore of Lake Erie in the U.S. statesofOhio, New York, and Pennsylvania. Over 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of the region are planted in grapevines, predominantly in the Concord grape variety.
| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1983[1] |
| Years of wine industry | 198 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania |
| Sub-regions | Grand River Valley AVA, Isle St. George AVA |
| Climate region | Continental |
| Total area | 2,236,800 acres (3,495 sq mi)[2] |
| Size of planted vineyards | 42,000 acres (17,000 ha)[3] |
| Grapes produced | Aurore, Auxerrois, Baco noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Catawba, Cayuga, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonnay, Concord, De Chaunac, Delaware, Diamond, Edelweiss, Fredonia, Gewurztraminer, Ives noir, Lemberger, Leon Millot, Marechal Foch, Merlot, Niagara, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Seyval blanc, Steuben, Touriga Nacional, Traminette, Vidal blanc, Vignoles[3] |
| No. of wineries | 58[3] |
Grapes were first cultivated in the area during the early nineteenth century, and many wineries survived Prohibition in the twentieth century by legally selling grapes to home winemakers, marketing their products solely for religious purposes such as kosher wines (which continues to the present day), converting to grape juice production for local companies such as Welch's, or illegally selling wine to consumers in Canada.
The wine industry in the Lake Erie region did not thrive after the repeal of Prohibition, however, and by 1967 there were fewer than twenty commercial wineries in the area.
Recently, Lake Erie wineries have begun planting and vinifying Vitis vinifera varieties in an attempt to improve wine quality.[3]
The region has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and the hardiness zone ranges from 6a in higher areas to 7a in some lakefront areas.