Lake Erie AVA
| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1983 |
| Years of wine industry | 192 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania |
| Sub-regions | Grand River Valley AVA, Isle St. George AVA |
| Growing season | 175-200 days |
| Climate region | Region I-II |
| Heat units | 2450 GDD units |
| Precipitation (annual average) | 41.47 in (1,053 mm) |
| Soil conditions | Sedimentary, gravel, clay, slit, loess mix. |
| Total area | 2,237,000 acres (3,495 sq mi) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) |
| 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 |
| No. of wineries | 58 |
Lake Erie is a multi-state American Viticultural Area (AVA) that encompasses 3,495 square miles (2,237,000 acres) of the entire southern shoreline of Lake Erie spanning across New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. It was established on October 20, 1983 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr; William A. Gulvin, Secretary of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Lake Erie Viticultural Area, proposing the multi-state viticultural area to be known as "Lake Erie." In New York and Pennslyvania, the "Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt," is a sixty-mile-long (97 km) stretch of Lake Erie shoreline with a width that extends inland three to sixteen miles (4.8 to 25.7 km), with approximately 31,500 acres (12,700 ha) of vineyards on 582 farms, making it the second-largest grape-growing region outside of California.
Lake Erie AVA is a distinct and contiguous viticultural district where there are vineyards of one acre or more located in every county, except Sandusky County, along the lake shore from near Toledo, Ohio to south of Buffalo, New York with very little or no commercial viticulture is indicated in surrounding inland counties. Over 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of the region are cultivated with grapevines, predominantly in the Concord grape variety. The region has a humid continental climate measuring Dfa/Dfb, and the hardiness zone ranges from 6a in higher areas to 7a in some lakefront areas.