Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) on the western shores of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The region is home to a handful of wineries and vineyards growing vinifera varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, alongside Franco-American hybrids such as Vidal Blanc and Chambourcin.
The Northern Neck Peninsula sits between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, running for approximately 50 miles (80km) inland from Chesapeake Bay, a large Atlantic inlet which moderates the climates of eastern Virginia and Maryland. It is the northernmost of three similarly sized peninsulas on this side of Chesapeake Bay (hence its name) and is the only one of these to have a separate AVA title. The AVA covers almost 60,000 acres (24,300ha), from Lancaster County to King George County.
Given that no point in the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA is more than 10 miles (16km) from river or ocean, proximity to water is one of its defining features. The sizable Chesapeake Bay offers cooling breezes in summer and a warming influence in winter, and there is less temperature fluctuation and risk of frost here than in the more-inland parts of Virginia.
The sandy loam soils in Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace are typical of this kind of estuarine landscape. Free-draining and low in fertility, they help to stress the vines, lessening vigor and leading to the development of small berries with a good concentration of sugars and acids. This translates into richness and flavor intensity in the wines.
The reason for the AVA's lengthy title is that two names were originally proposed and were ultimately combined when the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace appellation came into existence in May 1987. The unfortunate but perhaps predictable result is that the name has made it onto very few wine labels, being too long and confusing for convenient use.
