By MacKinley Lutes-Adlhoch | Cronkite News
WASHINGTON – Wine drinkers may soon be able to reach for that Verde Valley vintage, if local wineries and vineyards have their way.
Their application to designate the Verde Valley as a federally recognized American Viticultural Area is nearing approval by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
If approved, the designation would allow vineyards and vintners in a 200-square-mile area of Yavapai County to label their product with the specific location where the grapes were grown or the wine made, instead of just the state.
“It will give the Verde Valley area much greater recognition,” said Tom Wark, a spokesman for the National Association of Wine Retailers. “It will lead to more people visiting the wineries, for sure, and it will increase the recognition of the wines made from those grapes.”
