Interested in Applying to Establish or Modify an AVA?

Posted 11/13/2020 by the Office of Communications

Any individual or group can submit a petition to establish a new American Viticultural Area (AVA) or to modify the boundaries of an existing one.

What Should an AVA Petition Include?

The main elements of an AVA petition include:

1. A proposed name, as well as evidence showing that the name is currently used to describe the region of the proposed AVA.
2. A description of the geographic and/or climatic features that distinguish the proposed AVA from the surrounding regions and have an effect on how grapes are grown, along with evidence to support your claims of these distinctive features.
3. A written description of the proposed AVA boundary and the appropriate U.S.G.S topographic maps with the boundary drawn on it.

Where Can I Find More Information on Writing and Submitting an AVA Petition?

TTB’s AVA Manual for Petitioners includes guidance on how to prepare and submit a petition to establish a new AVA or modify the boundary of an existing one.  It also includes tables that can help you organize the information on the distinguishing features of your proposed AVA and contrast them with the features of the surrounding regions.

You can also review The ABCs of AVAs, a presentation which covers the basic requirements for a petition to establish a new AVA and the most common problems we see in the petitions we receive. The presentation also describes the rulemaking steps TTB takes once we accept a petition in order to complete the AVA establishment process.

Page last reviewed: November 13, 2020
Page last updated: November 13, 2020
Maintained by: Office of Communications, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs