An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about the geographic pedigree of their wines, as wines from a particular area can possess distinctive characteristics. Consumers often seek out wines from specific AVAs, and certain wines of particular pedigrees can claim premium prices and loyal customers. If a wine is labeled with an AVA, at least 85% of the grapes that make up the wine must have been grown in the AVA, and the wine must be fully finished within the state where the AVA is located.
(Source: "Wine Appellations of Origin". Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved April 15, 2021).
Southern Arizona is home to the Sonoita Valley, and the towns of Sonoita, Patagonia and Elgin. Located an hour south of Tucson, and just north of the Mexican border, Sonoita sits at between 4,500 – 5,200 feet elevation and was the first designated AVA in the state of Arizona. Sonoita’s native grasslands blanket the rolling hills, which are dotted with Arizona Oak, Arizona Ash, and Mesquite. The valley is surrounded by the Santa Rita Mountains, Mustang Mountains, Whetstone Mountains, and Huachuca Mountains, making the mineral deposits in the Valley’s soil a unique mixture of reddish-brownish gravelly loam. Highs in the summer are in the 80s - 90s and average rain fall is between 15 – 20 inches—mostly coming during monsoon season.