Virginia's Eastern Shore AVA

Virginia's Eastern Shore is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which encompasses the Virginia portion of the 70 miles (113 km) long Delmarva Peninsula located in Accomack and Northampton Counties. The area was established on January 1, 1991 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing a petition proposing the viticultural area to be known as "Virginia's Eastern Shore." The petition was submitted by Mr. James D. Keyes, owner of the only bonded winery in the area, Accomack Vineyards, which was established in 1987.^[3]
The viticultural area topography is primarily level ranging from sea level to 50 feet (15 m) above sea level. The area is located on the southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula. The AVA climate is characterized by temperate summers and winters, significantly affected by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The soil is deep, sandy loam. As of 2014, Virginia Wine lists 3 commercial wineries in the AVA, Bloxom Vineyard and Chatham Vineyard on Church Creek producing dry and sweet red and white wines. The hardiness zone is 8a.^[1][3][4]

Virginia's Eastern Shore

Wine region
Type	American Viticultural Area
Year established	1991[1]
Country	United States
Part of	Virginia
Other regions in Virginia	Appalachian High Country AVA, Middleburg AVA, Monticello AVA, North Fork of Roanoke AVA, Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA, Rocky Knob AVA, Shenandoah Valley AVA, Virginia Peninsula AVA
Climate region	Humid subtropical
Precipitation (annual average)	39.2 in (1,000 mm)[1]
Soil conditions	sandy loam[2][3]
Total area	436,000 acres (681 sq mi)[2]
Size of planted vineyards	70 acres (28 ha)[4]
Grapes produced	Chardonnay, Merlot[4]
No. of wineries	3[4]

See also

• Virginia Wine
• List of wineries in Virginia