[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 29, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E749]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THE PETALUMA GAP AVA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 29, 2018

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Congressman 
Mike Thompson in recognition of the Petaluma Gap's recent designation 
as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). Spanning 202,476 total acres, 
the Petaluma Gap AVA represents the culmination and heritage of more 
than 180 years of steadfast dedication to the craft of winemaking 
throughout the region.
  The first wine producing grapes were planted in what would become the 
Petaluma Gap in the 1830s, with the first winery later established in 
1884. Wine production in the region then continued to grow at an 
increasingly rapid pace for the next thirty years. However, with the 
establishment of prohibition in the 1920s and the influx of Phylloxera 
aphids that followed, the region's wine production plummeted and 
remained in tatters through the 1960s.
  By 1987, planting conditions and subsequent wine production began to 
rebound, which led to the establishment of the Sonoma Coast AVA. The 
Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance eventually formed from this 
resurgence in 2005, and initiated the AVA process for the Petaluma Gap 
ten years later. On December 7, 2017, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 
Trade Bureau (TTB) approved the alliance's application, and the 
Petaluma Gap AVA then went into effect on January 8th of this year.
  Today, Petaluma Gap contains over 4,000 vineyard acres that support 
more than eighty commercially producing vineyards and nine bonded 
wineries, contributing to a thirty-four billion dollar California wine 
industry. It is the 241st AVA to be established in the United States, 
the 139th to be established in the state of California, and the 18th 
AVA to include a portion of Sonoma County.
  Mr. Speaker, the designation of the Petaluma Gap as an AVA represents 
nearly two centuries of winegrowers working to build a distinct 
reputation and heritage. It is therefore appropriate that we stand 
together today, in celebration of this momentous achievement.

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