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A Grape Wine AVA is that a WHO or What? (American Viticultural Area)
By: James Bogaty	<< back   Page 3 of 3

Virginia lays claim to most of the Shenandoah Valley AVA, although it crosses into the West Virginia panhandle. The region is defined by flanking mountain ranges, with the Blue Ridge Mountains as its eastern border and the Allegheny Mountains as its western boundary. Most of the wineries in the AVA lie in Virginia and produce a combination of vinifera varietals, French-American hybrids and a limited amount of the native Norton varietal. The growing season can be distinctly warm and is drier than neighboring regions, which don’t receive the same natural protection offered by the Appalachian Mountains.

Some of the wineries in the Shenandoah Valley AVA are: Veramar Vineyard - Berryville, VA , North Mountain Vineyard & Winery - Maurertown, VA Shenandoah Vineyards, Inc. - Edinburg, VA and Cave Ridge Vineyard - Coinicville, VA

The Shenandoah Wine Country (SWX) Trail from the north begins at Veramar Vineyard, and then meanders to North Mountain and Shenandoah Vineyards then to Cave Ridge most within a half hour of each other along interstate 81. En route, you'll pass by thoroughbred horse farms, dairies, orchards, woodlands, Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains and along the Shenandoah River that will transport you to an earlier, simpler time. In addition, there is Civil War Battlefields such as Berryville, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Cool Springs, New Market, as well as the fabled Shenandoah Caverns.

Cheers from Veramar Vineyard

Jim Bogaty

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