Establishment of the "Yadkin Valley" Viticultural Area

Washington, DC - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) announces that it is establishing an American viticultural area to be known as the "Yadkin Valley." The area of some 1,416,600 acres is located in North Carolina. It encompasses all of Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties and portions of Stokes, Forsyth, Davidson, and Davie counties.

ATF believes that using viticultural areas as appellations of origin in wine labeling and advertising allows wine consumers to know the specific areas where grapes used to make wines are grown. This enables consumers to make better-informed choices in the wines they purchase.

The effective date of the establishment of the Yadkin Valley viticultural area is February 9, 2003. Click to read the full text of the ruling (T.D. No. ATF-485) in today's edition of the Federal Register, or visit the ATF web site at: www.atf.treas.gov.