Loess Hills District AVA


Loess Hills District
Wine region
TypeAmerican Viticultural Area
Year established2016
CountryUnited States
Part ofIowa, Missouri
Other regions in Iowa, MissouriUpper Mississippi Valley AVA
Climate regionRegion III
Heat units3,239 GDD units
Precipitation (annual average)31.95 in (811.53 mm)
Soil conditionsDeep glacial loess (up to 300 feet (91 m))
Total area12,897 square miles (8,254,080 acres)
Size of planted vineyards112 acres (45 ha)
No. of vineyards66
Varietals producedChambourcin, Noiret and Norton
No. of wineries13

Loess Hills District is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in western Iowa and northwestern Missouri established on March 3, 2016 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Shirley Frederiksen, on behalf of the Western Iowa Grape Growers Association and the Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development organization proposing the establishment of the “Loess Hills District.” The district is a long, narrow north–south orientated swath of land along the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers, covering 12,897 square miles (8,254,080 acres) from Hawarden, Iowa, to Craig, Missouri. There are approximately 66 commercially-producing vineyards covering a total of 112 acres (45 ha) distributed throughout the AVA, along with 13 wineries. Loess Hills District is not a sub-region within any established AVA.