Cumberland Valley AVA
| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1985 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Maryland (MD), Pennsylvania (PA) |
| Growing season | 160-170 days |
| Climate region | Region II-III |
| Heat units | 2,890-3,150 GDD |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 34–40 in (860–1,020 mm) |
| Soil conditions | MD: Murrill association underlain by limestone PA: Weathered shale, interbedded shale, siltstone and sandstone |
| Total area | 765,000 acres (1,195 sq mi) |
| Size of planted vineyards | MD: 20 acres (8.1 ha) PA: 40 acres (16 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 7 |
| No. of wineries | 3 |
Cumberland Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Washington County in west-central Maryland and Franklin and Cumberland counties in south-central Pennsylvania. It was established on July 22, 1985 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. Robert W. Ziem, owner of Ziem Vineyards and bonded winery in Downsville, Maryland, and Mr. Charlie M. Webster of Sharpsburg, on behalf of themselves and local vintners, proposing a viticultural area to be known as "Cumberland Valley, Maryland."
The Cumberland Valley is an 80 miles (130 km) long valley which bends in a northeasterly direction from the Potomac River in Washington County, Maryland, toward the Susquehanna River in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The valley is bordered on the southeast by
South Mountain, which is the northernmost extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and on the northwest by the Allegheny Mountain complex. The principal streams that drain the
valley are Conococheague Creek and Antietam Creek, tributaries of the Potomac River, and Conodoguinet Creek and Yellow Breeches Creek, tributaries of the Susquehanna River. The land drained by these streams shares similar geological history, topographical features, soils, and climatic conditions.
Initially, the submitted petition mapped an area which is more commonly known as the Hagerstown Valley, a portion of the larger Cumberland Valley which extends north
above the Mason-Dixon Line, the geopolitical boundary between the States of Maryland and Pennsylvania. In light of this determination, the petitioners agreed to amend the petition
to include the portions of the Cumberland Valley which are located in Franklin and Cumberland counties in Pennsylvania and to petition for the name "Cumberland Valley." The AVA extends from the Potomac to the Susquehanna River.
About 100 acres (40 ha) of the AVA's 765,000 acres (1,195 sq mi) cultivate wine grapevines predominantly on high terraces overlooking the Potomac River and on the slopes of South Mountain. The soil in the area is alkaline limestone. At the outset, seven vineyards and three bonded wineries were documented in the petition. The Cumberland Valley mainly has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and is mainly in hardiness zone 7a with 6b in some higher areas.