Country United States Climate region Continental Year established 1983 | Sub-regions Grand River Valley AVA Size of planted vineyards 170 km² Part of Ohio wine | |
Type American Viticultural Area Total area 2,236,800 acres (905,200 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 | ||
The Lake Erie AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes 2,236,800 acres (905,200 ha) of land on the south shore of Lake Erie in the U.S. states of Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania. Over 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of the region are planted in grapevines, predominantly in the Concord grape variety.
Grapes were first cultivated in the area in the early 19th century, and many wineries survived Prohibition in the 20th century by legally selling grapes to home winemakers, marketing their products solely for religious purposes such as kosher wines (which continues to the present day), converting to grape juice production for local companies such as Welch's, or illegally selling wine to consumers in Canada. The wine industry in the Lake Erie region did not thrive after the repeal of Prohibition, however, and by 1967 there were fewer than 20 commercial wineries in the area. Recently, Lake Erie wineries have begun planting and vinifying Vitis vinifera varieties in an attempt to improve wine quality.
The region has a humid continental climate and is in hardiness zones 6a and 6b.