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58 WINES&VINES June 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS WINE EAST C ouncil Bluffs, Iowa— The Loess Hills District American Viticultural Area along the western borders of Iowa and Missouri be- came official April 4. The AVA cov- ers a long, narrow area along the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers from Hawarden, Iowa, to Craig, Mo. Most of the 12,897 square miles in the AVA are in Iowa, but the unique soil type in the region continues into Missouri, and con- sequently, Missouri's Atchison and Holt counties are also included. There are 13 wineries in the Loess Hills District AVA and approxi- mately 66 vineyards with a total of 112 acres of vineyards. According to Doug Grave, president of the Western Iowa Grape Growers Association and owner of Bodega Victoriana Vine- yard and Winery in Glenwood, Iowa, the soil in the region— called "loess"—is found at sub- stantial depths only in the western part of Iowa, northwest corner of Missouri and in China. The depos- its within the AVA range from 20 feet to 300 feet deep. The loess soil is described as "a loose, crumbly soil comprised of quartz, feldspar, mica and other Wine East Covering Eastern North America TTB Establishes Loess Hills District in Iowa and Missouri materials, which were ground into a fine powder by glaciers during the Ice Ages. When the glaciers melted, the water pushed this gla- cial flour down the Missouri River Valley. When the waters receded, the exposed silt dried and was picked up by the prevailing west- erly winds and redeposited over broad areas. The heaviest, coarsest loess particles were deposited along the Missouri River, within the proposed Loess Hills District AVA." The depth of the loess soil in the AVA allows grapevine roots to grow without being blocked by other dense soils or bedrock and also per- mits water to drain quickly from the vines. The rolling hills in the area let cold air flow down, away from vineyards, which reduces the risk of frosts. To the north, east and south of the AVA, the hills have less slope and lower elevation, and the land west of the river is mostly wide, flat flood plain. The Loess Hills District has a longer growing season that allows later-maturing grapes such as Norton, Chambourcin and Noiret to ripen before fall frosts arrive. —Linda Jones McKee Bodega Victoriana Vineyard and Winery in Glenwood, Iowa, is part of the new Loess Hills AVA that extends into northwest Missouri.