The Petaluma Gap AVA in Sonoma and Marin counties has finally been approved today after a long delay, making Petaluma Gap the newest AVA in the United States. The last previous AVA to be approved by the TTB was the Appalachian High Country of North Carolina in October 2016 under the Obama administration.

The Petaluma Gap AVA application had fulfilled all stages of approval during the Obama administration except for the final approval signature. The official signature was not granted under the Trump administration due to a failure of the new administration to appoint the necessary official to sign the document, and a moratorium on rulemaking created by Trump. Now that the official position has been filled and the moratorium on rulemaking lifted, it appears the approval process can begin for other proposed AVAs in the pipeline such as the Van Duzer Corridor AVA within Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Making the Petaluma Gap official clears the way for wineries to label with the new AVA wines made from grapes from within the area. The approval also marks the first official AVA in Marin County. Until now the produce of Marin’s vineyards could be labelled only with the …

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