Federal regulators have proposed designating Vermont’s Champlain Valley as an American viticultural area, a move that would allow local winemakers to mark their bottles with a federally recognized regional label and require that nearly all grapes used in such wines be grown within specified boundaries. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau published the proposed rule, which covers land between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains, stretching from Rutland County to the Canadian border. A public comment period is open until May 26 before federal officials make a final determination.
The proposed designation, first petitioned by Shelburne Vineyard founder Kenneth Albert in 2022, could strengthen Vermont’s small but expanding wine industry by signaling regional distinctiveness to consumers and opening new agritourism opportunities, state agriculture officials said.
“It gives us validity,” said Albert, who also served as former president of the Vermont Grape and Wine Council. His vineyard, founded in 1998, was among the state’s first commercial grape-growing operations. “We’ll finally get some respect,” he said.
What the designation would do
If finalized, the “Champlain Valley of Vermont” label on a wine bottle would signal to consumers that the grapes came from within the designated region. Producers would gain the ability to include details of their grapes’ origin on labels — a practice that is otherwise tightly regulated — and would be required to source nearly all grapes from within the specified area.
Kristen Carrese, who heads marketing and exports at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, said the recognition could also strengthen the state’s agritourism sector.
“An (American viticultural area) designation is an exciting opportunity to define the Champlain Valley as a distinct wine growing region that’s shaped by our specific climate, soils and geography,” she said.
A case built on terroir
The petition for federal recognition centers on the valley’s distinctive growing conditions. Vermont’s cooler weather is tempered by Lake Champlain, creating a slightly warmer environment and a somewhat longer growing season than elsewhere in the state, according to Albert’s proposal.
Kendra Knapik, a recent Grape and Wine Council president who co-founded Ellison Estate Vineyard in Grand Isle, said those conditions contribute to what winemakers call terroir — the environmental characteristics, including temperature, soil makeup and elevation, that shape a wine’s character.
“There’s this concept in wine called ‘terroir,’” Knapik said. “You’re tasting a place.”
A warming climate has brought the potential for growing more grape varieties in Vermont’s vineyards, Knapik said. But increased risk of extreme weather events makes that trend a mixed development for growers.
A sector seeking investment
A 2018 University of Vermont study described winemaking as a “unique growth sector” within the state’s agricultural economy.
David Keck, a sommelier and owner of Stella14 Wines in Jeffersonville, said he welcomed the proposed designation while noting that the sector still needs large-scale investment to reach its potential.
“I think it’s good recognition for the area,” he said, adding that Vermont’s wine industry is “positioned well right now to grow rapidly.”
Albert said he hopes additional Vermont regions will pursue similar designations following the Champlain Valley proposal.
Members of the public may submit comments on the proposed rule through May 26.