Long Island AVA

Long Island is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) encompassing Nassau and Suffolk counties of New York, including the smaller offshore islands off Long Island. It was established on May 14, 2001 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Richard Olsen-Harbich on behalf of Raphael Winery, the Petrocelli Family, and Karen Meredith of Broadfields Vineyards, proposing a viticultural area in Nassau and Suffolk counties to be known as "Long Island."^[3]
The AVA was established over 15 years after two smaller AVAs were created at the eastern end of Long Island. The larger appellation was created as a benefit for some wineries located outside the two smaller AVAs and for wineries that wanted to create wines that use blends from vineyards in different parts of the island. It was also developed and promoted as a consumer protection of the Long Island name, as AVAs are required to have at least 85% of the fruit used in the designated wine grown within the borders of the region. The petitioner was veteran Long Island vintner Richard Olsen-Harbich who also was petitioner for "The Hamptons, Long Island" and "North Fork of Long Island" viticultural areas in the mid-1980s.^[4][5]

Long Island

Wine region
Type	American Viticultural Area
Year established	2001[1]
Years of wine industry	52
Country	United States
Part of	New York
Other regions in New York	Cayuga Lake AVA, Champlain Valley of New York AVA, Finger Lakes AVA, Hudson River Region AVA, Lake Erie AVA, Niagara Escarpment AVA, Seneca Lake AVA, Upper Hudson AVA
Sub-regions	North Fork of Long Island AVA, The Hamptons, Long Island AVA
Growing season	204 days[1]
Climate region	Region II-III[1]
Precipitation (annual average)	42 in (1,100 mm)[1]
Soil conditions	Predominately glacial till and outwash, sandy loam[1]
Total area	750,000 acres (1,170 sq mi)[1]
Size of planted vineyards	2,500 acres (1,000 ha)[1]
No. of vineyards	38[1]
Grapes produced	Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musque, Merlot, Niagara, Petit Verdot, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Tocai Friulano[2]
No. of wineries	38[1]

Vineyards on Long Island benefit from the moderating influence of the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound, and Peconic Bay on the local climate.^[2] The region is located in hardiness zones 7a and 7b.^[3]