Haw River Valley American Viticultural Area

Congratulations to our ANA members who are now part of a new federally designated grape growing region, The Haw River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). The area will officially receive the designation on April 29.

The Haw River Valley viticultural area includes all of Alamance County, as well as portions of Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Orange, and Rockingham Counties. The wineries included in the region are: Benjamin Vineyards and Winery in Saxapahaw, owned by ANA members Andy and Nancy Zeman; GlenMarie Vineyards & Winery in Burlington; Grove Winery & Vineyards in Gibsonville, owned by ANA members Max and Denise Lloyd; Iron Gate Vineyards & Winery in Mebane, owned by ANA members Debbie and Gene Stikeleather; Silk Hope Winery in Pittsboro; and Wolfe Wines in Snow Camp. These wineries and several other vineyards in the area produce European vinifera and native muscadine grapes.

This designation certifies the area has features including climate, soil, and elevation that make it a unique grape growing region. The requirement for wine with an AVA designation on the label is that 85 percent of the grapes must be grown in that viticultural area, and will help visitors identify their wine of choice more easily (http://www.hawriverwinetrail.com/). North Carolina’s three designated American Viticultural Areas, including the Yadkin Valley and Swan Creek AVAs, provide sustainable tourist dollars to each area while promoting agriculture and agritourism for our state.