On April 10, 2008, a 1,888-square mile area in southeastern Pennsylvania became officially known as the Lehigh Valley AVA. The new appellation is home to 12 vineyards and about 220-acres of vineyards that support the region’s nine wineries. All of the region’s wineries are small family-owned businesses growing much of their fruit on estate vineyards, and there is excitement among them as the new AVA-designation has finally made it possible for them to identify their wines with an “estate” designation.

The Lehigh Valley is marked by the Lehigh River which empties into the Delaware River near Easton. Appalachian mountain ridges mark the region’s northern and southern boundary. The Delaware River is the area’s eastern limit, while the Berks and Schuylkill county lines cut the region off on the west.

The swath of land enjoys a similar climate and well drained, silty soils of broken shale and sandstone. The best performing and most heavily planted varieties include red grapes Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc and whites Vidal and Riesling. Of these, it is the vinifera-esque French-American hybrid red Chambourcin that vintners in the region have resolved to make Lehigh Valley’s signature wine. The grape is versatile, flexible, and performs well in Lehigh Valley and local winemakers vinify it in a range of styles, including sparkling and rosé.

Despite winegrowing being widespread across the state of Pennsylvania, other than the Lake Erie AVA, which extends from Ohio, through Pennsylvania and into New York, appellations are largely absent or ignored in this large, diverse state. However, within the Lehigh Valley there is resolve among the producers to promote their hard earned appellation designation, and given the producers’ unanimity and history of cooperation, “Lehigh Valley” will likely take hold more than some other lesser-known, lesser-used Pennsylvania AVAs such as the Cumberland Valley and Lancaster Valley AVAs.
~ David Falchek, Pennsylvania Regional Correspondent