Loess Hills District AVA
Loess Hills District is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in western Iowa and northwestern Missouri established on April 4, 2016 by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). TTB received a petition from Shirley Frederiksen, on behalf of the Western Iowa Grape Growers Association and the Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development organization proposing the establishment of the “Loess Hills District.” The district is a long, narrow north–south orientated swath of land along the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers, covering 12,897 square miles (8,254,080 acres) from Hawarden, Iowa, to Craig, Missouri. There are approximately 66 commercially-producing vineyards covering a total of 112 acres (45 ha) distributed throughout the AVA, along with 13 wineries. Loess Hills District is not a sub-region within any established AVA.
| Wine region | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 2016 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Iowa, Missouri |
| Other regions in Iowa, Missouri | Upper Mississippi Valley AVA |
| Climate region | Continental |
| Soil conditions | Deep glacial loess (up to 300 feet (91 m)) |
| Total area | 12,897 square miles (8,254,080 acres) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 112 acres (45 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 66 |
| Varietals produced | Chambourcin, Noiret and Norton |
| No. of wineries | 13 |