Lake Wisconsin is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) is south-western Wisconsin, on the edge of the much-larger Upper Mississippi Valley AVA. The cool climate in the area is better suited to the Franco-American hybrid varieties that are specifically bred to withstand the harsh winters in the more continental parts of North America. Marechal Foch and Seyval Blanc are the most important grapes grown here.
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The Lake Wisconsin AVA covers 28,000 acres (11,350ha) in Columbia and Dane Counties, bordered to the north and west by the lake and the Wisconsin River, both tributaries of the Mississippi River. Here, vineyards benefit from the unique mesoclimates offered up by the river and the lake, which moderate the extremes of temperature in both summer and winter. This is in contrast to the more continental climate experienced in much of the rest of Wisconsin, with summers that are hot and winters that are often prohibitively cold. Humidity during the summer can be a problem for growers, but fresh breezes that are funneled along the river valley help to dry the canopy, preventing the spread of fungal vine diseases such as mildew.
Vineyards in Lake Wisconsin sit on south- and southwest-facing slopes, where the sandy and gravelly loam soils provide good drainage for the vineyards. The slopes, selected for their sunlight exposure as much as their soils, are also useful for their superior air circulation, which helps to stave off the cold air pockets that cause frost. Without the threat of spring frosts, healthy budding can take place in Lake Wisconsin's vineyards a full two weeks earlier than in neighboring areas.
Lake Wisconsin saw its first grape vines in the 1840s, planted by Hungarian-American winemaking pioneer Agoston Haraszthy, who later moved to California. The land on which he planted his vines is still a vineyard today, and belongs to the region's one producer, Wollersheim Winery. Despite Lake Wisconsin's viticultural aptitude, the winery produces wines from grapes imported from New York and Washington, along with local Wisconsin wines.
