AVA - stands for American Viticultural Areas which determine the geographic boundaries and legally defined areas within the US allowed for producing wine.
These regulations are nationwide and tend to allow more freedom in terms of which grapes can be grown, what processes are used in wine production (vinification), and aging requirements than are typically allowed in the European appellation systems.
Wines labeled with an AVA must be at least 85 percent from that appellation
Wines labeled by county must be at least 75 percent from that county
Wines labeled by variety must be at least 75 percent the indicated grape (90 percent in Oregon for Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays)
Wines labeled with a vintage, at least 95 percent of the grapes must be harvested from that year
The US allows a 1.5 percent margin between actual alcohol content and what is labeled on the bottle. This means that a wine that has a 13.5 percentABV on the label can actually range between 12 percent -15 percent ABV
