Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA

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'''Upper Mississippi River Valley''' is an [[American Viticultural Area | American Viticultural Area (AVA)]] encompassing {{convert|29914|sqmi|km2+acre}} along the [[Upper Mississippi River]] and its tributaries located in northwest [[Illinois]], northeast [[Iowa]], southeast [[Minnesota]] and southwest [[Wisconsin]]. It was established on July 21, 2009, as, currently, the nation’s largest [[List of American Viticultural Areas|viticultural area]], by the [[Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau|Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)]], [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]] after reviewing the petition submitted by the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA Committee on behalf of local vintners proposing “Upper Mississippi River Valley.”<ref name="Petition">{{cite web |title= American Viticultural Area Petition For Upper Mississippi River Valley | url=https://www.regulations.gov/document/TTB-2008-0007-0004 | website=TTB.gov| publisher=Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA Committee| date=2008-01-27}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> The area is 50 times larger than the [[Bordeaux wine regions]] of France.<ref name=”MWGA”>{{cite web|url=https://www.mngrapes.org/|title= Minnesota Wine & Grape Alliance |website=Minnesota Wine & Grape Alliance}}</ref><ref name="Largest_AVA">{{cite web |author1=Cattell, Hudson |title=TTB Approves Largest AVA: Upper Mississippi River Valley Appellation Includes Sections of Four States |url=https://winesvinesanalytics.com/news/article/65891/TTB-Approves-Largest-AVA |website=Wines Vines Analytics |publisher=Wines & Vines |access-date=26 April 2021 |date=2009-07-09}}</ref> The climate of the Upper Mississippi Valley is [[continental (wine)|continental]] and cool. The rolling hills and sloping landscape of the region permits maximum sun exposure which facilitates grape growth. Vineyards are planted in soils composed of mainly [[clay]] and [[silt]] [[loam]] on top of [[bedrock]] of [[limestone]].<ref name="Establish"/> The [[hardiness zone]] varies within the large north-to-south range from 5a to 6a.<ref name=”Plant_Hardiness”>{{cite web | url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ | title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | website=United States Department of Agriculture | date=2012}}</ref><br/>

'''Upper Mississippi River Valley''' is an [[American Viticultural Area | American Viticultural Area (AVA)]] encompassing {{convert|29914|sqmi|km2+acre}} along the [[Upper Mississippi River]] and its tributaries located in northwest [[Illinois]], northeast [[Iowa]], southeast [[Minnesota]] and southwest [[Wisconsin]]. It was established on July 21, 2009, as, currently, the nation’s largest [[List of American Viticultural Areas|viticultural area]], by the [[Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau|Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)]], [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]] after reviewing the petition submitted by the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA Committee on behalf of local vintners proposing an viticultual area named "Upper Mississippi River Valley."<ref name="Petition">{{cite web |title= American Viticultural Area Petition For Upper Mississippi River Valley | url=https://www.regulations.gov/document/TTB-2008-0007-0004 | website=TTB.gov| publisher=Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA Committee| date=2008-01-27}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> The area is 50 times larger than the [[Bordeaux wine regions]] of France.<ref name=”MWGA”>{{cite web|url=https://www.mngrapes.org/|title= Minnesota Wine & Grape Alliance |website=Minnesota Wine & Grape Alliance}}</ref><ref name="Largest_AVA">{{cite web |author1=Cattell, Hudson |title=TTB Approves Largest AVA: Upper Mississippi River Valley Appellation Includes Sections of Four States |url=https://winesvinesanalytics.com/news/article/65891/TTB-Approves-Largest-AVA |website=Wines Vines Analytics |publisher=Wines & Vines |access-date=26 April 2021 |date=2009-07-09}}</ref> The climate of the Upper Mississippi Valley is [[continental (wine)|continental]] and cool. The rolling hills and sloping landscape of the region permits maximum sun exposure which facilitates grape growth. Vineyards are planted in soils composed of mainly [[clay]] and [[silt]] [[loam]] on top of [[bedrock]] of [[limestone]].<ref name="Establish"/> The [[hardiness zone]] varies within the large north-to-south range from 5a to 6a.<ref name=”Plant_Hardiness”>{{cite web | url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ | title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | website=United States Department of Agriculture | date=2012}}</ref><br/>

The Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, established in 1994, contains some geographical features similar to those of the AVA, such as annual average frost-free period, elevation, and a mean precipitation of {{cvt|29|in}}, just 1 inch less than that of the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA. At the same time, the Lake Wisconsin AVA is recognized as benefiting from the microclimate effects of the lower

The Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, established in 1994, contains some geographical features similar to those of the AVA, such as annual average frost-free period, elevation, and a mean precipitation of {{cvt|29|in}}, just 1 inch less than that of the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA. At the same time, the Lake Wisconsin AVA is recognized as benefiting from the microclimate effects of the lower