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N EWS O F G RA P ES A N D W I N ES I N EAS T ER N N O R T H A M ER I C A AVA Approved in Indiana Overlapping boundary to be modified for new Indiana Uplands AVA B loomington, Ind.—In February, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved the establishment of the Indiana Uplands American Viticultural Area (AVA), which will become effective March 7. The border of the new AVA in south-central Indiana forms a line between Morgan and Monroe counties and runs south 110 miles to the Ohio River. Nineteen Indiana counties are located partially or totally within the new AVA, which is about 63 miles wide from Clark to Martin counties, for a total acreage of approximately 4,800 square miles. The petition to establish the AVA was submitted by Jim Butler of Butler Winery in Bloomington, Ind., and TTB published its proposed ruling June 8, 2012, in the Federal Register. Seven Indiana counties were partially or totally within the area overlapping the Ohio River Valley AVA. The 26,000-squaremile Ohio River Valley AVA was established in 1983 and encompassed the valley surrounding the Ohio River in four states: Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and part of West Virginia. In the Indiana Uplands petition, evidence was submitted that the geology, soils and climate of the proposed AVA were distinctive when compared to the Ohio River Valley AVA. TTB agreed and suggested a boundary adjustment to eliminate the potential overlap. At TTB's request, the Indiana Uplands petitioner obtained letters from the owners of the 11 wineries and vineyards that would be affected if the Ohio River Valley AVA were to be modified. They all agreed that they would no longer use W Indiana Uplands AVA the Ohio River Valley AVA, and the modification became part of TTB's proposed ruling. With the final ruling, the winesandvines.com Ohio River Valley AVA Learn more: Search keywords is approximately 1,530 "Indiana Uplands." square miles smaller. Wineries within this area will be permitted to use the words "Ohio River Valley" on their labels for a period of two years, provided that the grapes were grown in that area and the labels were approved before March 7, 2013. Out of more than 600 acres of grapes being grown in Indiana, approximately 200 acres are under cultivation in the Indiana Uplands AVA. According to the petition there are 19 vineyards in the AVA and 17 wineries. Nine wineries that are members of the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail were responsible for working together to draw up the petition. —Hudson Cattell HEADLINES p86 86 W in e s & V i ne s APR I L 2 013 Barrel Oak Winery wins exception GRAPEGROWING p87 arrenton, Va.—On July 12, 2012, the Board of Supervisors of Fauquier County in Warrenton, Va., passed a new farm winery ordinance that restricted farm wineries' hours, the number of special events a winery could have per month and the number of people who winesandvines.com could attend those Learn more: events, in addition to Search keywords "Barrel Oak." other provisions. Within a month, two lawsuits were filed against the Board of Supervisors and the farm winery ordinance. Brian and Sharon Roeder, owners of Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, Va. filed one suit, and Philip Carter Strother, who owns Philip Carter Winery in Hume, Va., filed a suit that included his and nine other Fauquier County wineries. Both lawsuits assert that county officials enacted regulations that violate the state's Farm Winery Act, especially the provision that "usual and customary activities and events at farm wineries shall be permitted without local regulation unless there is a substantial impact on the health, safety or welfare of the public." The Board of Supervisors voted Feb. 10 to settle the Barrel Oak lawsuit and granted the winery a special exception to allow farm winery special events. A week later, Strother had the second lawsuit served to the Board of Supervisors. If not settled out of court, the lawsuit will go to trial. —Linda Jones McKee RESEARCH p92