Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/06/22/E9-14574/establishment-of-the-upper-mississippi-river-valley-viticultural-area-2007r-055p
Timestamp: 2018-09-19 22:28:43
Document Index: 464288581

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 9', 'art 9', '§\u20099', '§\u20099', 'art 4']

Federal Register :: Establishment of the Upper Mississippi River Valley Viticultural Area (2007R-055P)
Establishment of the Upper Mississippi River Valley Viticultural Area (2007R-055P)
A Rule by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on 06/22/2009
74 FR 29395
29395-29401 (7 pages)
T.D. TTB-77
Re: Notice No. 88
E9-14574
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-14574 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-14574
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 29395
This Treasury decision establishes the 29,914-square mile “Upper Mississippi River Valley” viticultural area in portions of southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northwest Illinois, and northeast Iowa. We designate viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase.
Karen Welch, Regulations and Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street, NW., Washington, DC 20220; phone 202-927-0713.
The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA Committee submitted a petition to TTB proposing the establishment of the 29,914-square mile Upper Mississippi River Valley American viticultural area in portions of southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northwest Illinois, and northeast Iowa. A map submitted with the petition indicates that the vineyards within the proposed viticultural area are geographically dispersed throughout the area. The established 28,000-acre (43.75-square mile) Lake Wisconsin viticultural area (27 CFR 9.146) located in Columbia and Dane Counties, Wisconsin, lies entirely within the eastern portion of the proposed viticultural area.
According to the petitioner, the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge Act of 1924 provides a historical perspective in support of the “Upper Mississippi River Valley” name and its boundaries. The Act established what later would be known as the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, an area that Congress created to reflect the unique habitat of the Paleozoic Plateau (see “Regional Land Management” below). The petition documentation includes references citing the Upper Mississippi River Valley name relevant to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The petitioner documented the use of the Upper Mississippi River Valley name in Federal and public Web sources.Start Printed Page 29396
A page on the USGS Web site, “Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources, Part 2, Regional Trends of Biological Resources,” (http://biology.usgs.gov/​s+​t/​SNT/​index.htm) includes a section on the Mississippi River. The “Geography, Geological History, and Human Development” subsection explains the glacial history of the Upper Mississippi River. The Wisconsin Glacier retreating into Canada and melting is described as follows: “The Upper Mississippi River valley then began filling with glacial outwash, mainly sand and gravel, a process that is still under way * * *. The Upper Mississippi River valley widens considerably where it joins the Minnesota River, 13 kilometers downstream from St. Anthony Falls * * *.” The petitioner explained that at St. Anthony Falls the Mississippi River headwaters join the northern boundary of the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
Regarding the history of the valley, a page on the National Park Service Web site (http://www.nps.gov/​efmo/​parks/​hist.htm) states that “The Upper Mississippi River valley was not only the home of prehistoric Indians for thousands of years, but also has been the scene for over 300 years of recorded human history as well. Early explorers found the area along the big river occupied by groups of Native Americans.”
“Twelve Millennia: Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River Valley,” by James Theler and Robert Boszhardt (2003, Iowa State University Press), provides an overview of the 12,000-year-old human past of the Driftless Area of the Upper Mississippi River Valley, according to a description of the book on http://www.amazon.com. The Driftless Area extends from Rock Island Rapids, in the Moline-Rock Island, Illinois, area, north to St. Anthony Falls in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, area. (It comprises areas that were excluded from glacial transport of sediments and other materials.) The petitioner noted that the Driftless Area roughly corresponds to the boundary of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area.
The proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area covers 29,914 square miles, averaging 120 miles east to west and 225 miles north to south, according to the USGS maps provided with the petition. The headwaters of the Mississippi River start at Lake Itasca in northwest Minnesota and continue to St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, the petitioner explained.
1. Dakota Buffalo Carroll Allamakee
2. Dodge Clark Jo Davies Black Hawk
3. Fillmore Columbia Lee Bremer
4. Goodhue Crawford Ogle Buchanan
5. Houston Dane Rock Island Cedar
6. Mower Dunn Stephenson Chickasaw
7. Olmstead Eau Claire Whiteside Clayton
8. Wabasha Grant Winnebago Clinton
9. Washington Green Delaware
10. Winona Iowa Dubuque
11. Jackson Fayette
12. Juneau Howard
13. La Crosse Jackson
14. La Fayette Johnson
15. Monroe Jones
16. Pepin Linn
17. Pierce Scott.
18. Richland Winneshiek
19. Rock.
20. Sauk.
21. St. Croix.
22. Trempealeau.
23. Vernon.
Start Printed Page 29397
The petitioner explained that European explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet first entered the Upper Mississippi River Valley on June 17, 1673. The Louisiana Purchase and the resolution of the Black Hawk War in 1832 served to open the area to settlers from the eastern States.
The petitioner explained that two management areas, Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 105 and the Driftless Area Initiative (DAI), help to define the proposed viticultural area. The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), oversees the management of MLRAs. MLRA 105 comprises the Paleozoic Plateau, which more recent glacial incursions surrounded, bypassed, and preserved as a rugged, bedrock-controlled environment with soils lacking the glacial drift of areas outside the MLRA boundary. Thus, it encompasses a vast area that has similar soils, climate, water resources, and land uses. It includes portions of four States: Southeastern Minnesota, southwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa, and northwestern Illinois. It roughly corresponds to the boundary of, but is 4 percent smaller than, the proposed viticultural area.
The petitioner used State and interstate highways to define the boundary of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area. The highways are marked on the USGS maps and form a boundary that comprises these important, interrelated components of the proposed viticultural area: The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, the Paleozoic Plateau, MLRA 105, the Driftless Area, and the Upper Mississippi River watershed.
The petitioner explained that how the Mississippi River is divided varies among individuals, commercial entities, and public agencies. The petitioner noted that “* * * the Mississippi River, sometimes in conjunction with its valley, is discussed as having upper and lower segments.” Others, however, refer to the upper, middle, and lower Mississippi.
The petitioner explained further that the southern boundary line of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area correlates with the southern border of the Upper Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Refuge established in 1924. The Wapsipinicon River watershed closely parallels the eastern and southern boundary lines of the proposed viticultural area. Interstate Highway 80, which serves as a portion of the southern boundary line of the proposed viticultural area, approximates the Wapsipinicon River watershed boundary line.
The petitioner explained that the southern boundary of the proposed viticultural area correlates with the southern boundary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone 4b. Also, based on research information provided by Professor Paul Domoto, PhD, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, the average minimum winter temperatures within the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area are −15 to −20 degrees F. To the south, they are −10 to −15 degrees F.
The proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area includes the established 28,000-acre Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, the petitioner explained. The Wisconsin River, which forms Lake Wisconsin, is a major tributary of the Upper Mississippi River.
The petitioner stated that the Lake Wisconsin viticultural area is comprised of soil orders and Driftless Area topography similar to those of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area. Regarding the Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, which has a few glacial deposits at the higher elevations, according to the petitioner, geologists view that area as a transitional glacial area. (The original Lake Wisconsin viticultural area (T.D. ATF-352, 59 FR 537, January 5, 1994) describes the area as a transitional zone between the glaciated topography to its east and the unglaciated, driftless topography to its west.)
The petitioner asserted that the distinguishing features of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area include its geology, unglaciated topography, climate, soils, and hydrology. The Wisconsin ice age affected the region and provided a basis for most of the distinguishing features of the proposed viticultural area, specifically topography, soils, and hydrology.
The petitioner explained that a significant event in the geologic history of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area was the impact of the massive Wisconsin Glacier during the Wisconsin ice age. The glacier, which had lobes in Minnesota and Iowa, started melting 15,000 years ago and retreated northward toward Canada. The resulting glacial water flows combined with the Glacial St. Croix River and drained Glacial Lake Duluth, known now as Lake Superior. The relatively sediment-free drainage of Glacial Lake Duluth helped carve the Upper Mississippi River Valley channel to a depth of about 250 meters, or 820 feet. Eventually, alluvial deposits started Start Printed Page 29398refilling the river channel, beginning a process that has continued into modern times.
The petitioner stated that surface materials, especially along the Paleozoic Plateau, date to 100,000 years in age. The younger materials that are outside the proposed boundary and that are largely the result of glacial erosion and glacial till date to 10,000 years in age, or 90,000 years younger than the surface materials on the Paleozoic Plateau.
The petitioner explained that streams in the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area cut deep dissections through the inclined landforms and exposed Paleozoic rock. The exposed rock, which varies in age from 350 to 600 million years old, is predominantly dolomite, limestone, and sandstone.
The Driftless Area of the Upper Mississippi River Valley has a unique topography and subsurface structure because a direct glacial incursion did not occur in that area during the most recent Wisconsin ice age, the petitioner explained. Consequently, the topography does not have substantial amounts of materials deposited by glaciers. The petitioner noted that the proposed boundary divides the rugged, dissected, bedrock-controlled landscapes within the Upper Mississippi River Valley from the gently rolling landscapes that have lower relief and glaciated, erosional surfaces and that are outside the valley.
Bedrock control in the proposed area, the petitioner explained, refers to the entrenched valleys and karst that constitute an integrated drainage network. The karst topography of the proposed viticultural area includes underground caves, sinkholes, springs, and subsurface caverns. According to the petitioner, rivers and underground water flows are general features throughout the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area, which has none of the natural lakes that direct glacial movement normally creates. Outside the boundary of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area, the petitioner continued, the topography consists of unconsolidated, heavily dissected soil material along substantial deposits of glacial materials on smooth, rolling hills.
The elevations of the Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area, the petitioner stated, range from 660 feet on valley floors to 1,310 feet on high ridges. Outside the boundary of the proposed viticultural area, elevations average 250 feet higher to the northwest and 165 feet lower to the southeast.
The petitioner explained that north of the boundary of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area loess covers the level-to-rolling till plains. Elevations change little on the plains.
The soils common to the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area, the petitioner stated, are stony or rocky soils on steep slopes. The petitioner provided comparative soil data for the proposed viticultural area and the surrounding regions. The data, which show differences and similarities of the soils, are listed in the table below.
Within Alfisols, Entisols, and Mollisols Mesic, Udic Mixed mineralogy, moderately deep to very deep; well drained or moderately well drained; loamy with little clay.
North Outside Entisols, Alfisols, Histosols, Spodosols, and Inceptisols Frigid, Udic Mixed mineralogy; >moderately deep to very deep; well drained to poorly drained; sandy to loamy.
The petitioner explained that within the boundary of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area, Argiudolls (Tama, Dodgeville, Richwood, and Dakota series) and Hapludolls (Muscatine series) are on nearly level to gently sloping benches and broad ridge tops. Hapludolls (Frontenac, Broadale, and Bellechester series) are on steep slopes bordering major valleys. Well drained Udifluvents (Dorchester, Chaseburg, and Arenzville series) are along stream bottoms. Quartzipsamments (Boone series) are on steep slopes. Also, Udipsamments (Plainfield and Gotham series) are on nearly level stream benches.
Overall, the soils on steep hills and ridges and those formed in comparatively thinner glacial till within the proposed viticultural area have good Start Printed Page 29399natural drainage for grapes. Although they have much clay, generally they have access to water and in numerous areas are on south-facing slopes, creating microclimates beneficial to grapes. The soils outside the proposed boundary generally formed in deeply dissected, thicker glacial drift and alluvium over unconsolidated materials on smooth, gently rolling landscapes. After precipitation they require tile drainage because of glacial pools and the generally lower relief.
The petitioner stated that steep slopes, bluffs, numerous rock outcrops, waterfalls and rapids, sinkholes, springs, and entrenched stream valleys combine to create multiple microclimates within the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area. Also, the combination of microclimates and diverse settings supports varied flora and fauna communities not found outside the boundary of the proposed viticultural area.
The petitioner provided temperature and precipitation data for the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area and its surrounding regions. Those climatic differences are presented in the table below.
According to petition data, the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area has, on average, a warmer annual temperature range than that of the surrounding locations to the north and east. In the areas to the south and west, the annual average temperature range is several degrees higher than that in the proposed viticultural area.
The petitioner provided hydrological data that show the growing conditions, including the relationship between the soils and the hydrological characteristics of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area and its surrounding regions. The hydrological data are presented in the table below.
Hydrological Data and Drainage Needed for Crop Production Within and Outside the Upper Mississippi River Valley
In most years the moderate precipitation of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area, the petitioner explained, is usually adequate for both the human population and agriculture. Ground water, the petitioner stated, remains abundant in outwash deposits of valleys, but on uplands it varies in quantity. Bedrock aquifers also provide extensive ground water resources within the proposed Start Printed Page 29400viticultural area and in the area to its west.
TTB published Notice No. 88 regarding the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area in the Federal Register (73 FR 46842) on August 12, 2008. In that notice, TTB invited comments by October 14, 2008, from all interested persons. We specifically solicited comments on the sufficiency and accuracy of the name, climatic, boundary, and other required information submitted in support of the petition, as well as if the name and distinguishing geographical feature evidence is sufficient to warrant this new viticultural area that entirely encompasses the existing Lake Wisconsin viticultural area. We received one comment in response to Notice No. 88, and that comment supported the establishment of the Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area.
After careful review of the petition and the comment received, TTB finds that the evidence submitted supports the establishment of the proposed viticultural area. Therefore, under the authority of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act and part 4 of our regulations, we establish the 29,914-square mile “Upper Mississippi River Valley” viticultural area in portions of southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northwest Illinois, and northeast Iowa, effective 30 days from the publication date of this document.
As stated above, the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA contains multiple microclimates, and none of the natural lakes that direct glacial movement normally creates. The Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, established in 1994, contains some geographical features similar to those of the proposed AVA, such as annual average frost-free period, elevation, and a mean precipitation of 29 inches, just 1 inch less than that of the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA. At the same time, the Lake Wisconsin AVA is recognized as benefitting from the microclimate effects of the lower Wisconsin River Valley. The river moderates winter temperatures and air circulation within the river valley and helps prevent cold air accumulation and frost pockets from forming in the vineyards. In the summer, the river valley and limestone bluffs along the river's edge serve to channel air currents and increase air circulation, thus protecting the vineyards from mildew and rot in hot, humid weather. Additionally, the Lake Wisconsin AVA is recognized as a transitional zone from unglaciated to glaciated topography, and the soils within the Lake Wisconsin AVA contain some glacial till. Accordingly, although the Lake Wisconsin viticultural area shares some of the characteristics of the proposed AVA, TTB believes that the differences justify the continued recognition of Lake Wisconsin as a distinct viticultural area within the proposed Upper Mississippi River Valley viticultural area.
Part 4 of the TTB regulations prohibits any label reference on a wine that indicates or implies an origin other than the wine's true place of origin. With the establishment of this viticultural area and its inclusion in part 9 of the TTB regulations, its name, “Upper Mississippi River Valley,” is recognized under 27 CFR 4.39(i)(3) as a name of viticultural significance. The text of the new regulation clarifies this point.
Once this final rule becomes effective, wine bottlers using “Upper Mississippi River Valley” in a brand name, including a trademark, or in another label reference as to the origin of the wine, will have to ensure that the product is eligible to use the viticultural area's full name as an appellation of origin.
For a wine to be labeled with a viticultural area name or with a brand name that includes a viticultural area name or other term identified as being viticulturally significant in part 9 of the TTB regulations, at least 85 percent of the wine must be derived from grapes grown within the area represented by that name or other term, and the wine must meet the other conditions listed in 27 CFR 4.25(e)(3). If the wine is not eligible for labeling with the viticultural area name or other viticulturally significant term and that name or term appears in the brand name, then the label is not in compliance and the bottler must change the brand name and obtain approval of a new label. Similarly, if the viticultural area name or other viticulturally significant term appears in another reference on the label in a misleading manner, the bottler would have to obtain approval of a new label. Accordingly, if a previously approved label uses the name “Upper Mississippi River Valley” for a wine that does not meet the 85 percent standard, the previously approved label will be subject to revocation, upon the effective date of the establishment of the “Upper Mississippi River Valley” viticultural area.
Karen Welch of the Regulations and Rulings Division drafted this notice.
2. Subpart C is amended by adding § 9.216 to read as follows:
§ 9.216
(a) Name. The name of the viticultural area described in this section is “Upper Mississippi River Valley”. For purposes of part 4 of this chapter, “Upper Mississippi River Valley” is a term of viticultural significance.Start Printed Page 29401
(2) Proceed northeast on Wisconsin State Highway 85 toward the City of Eau Claire to U.S. Highway 12; then
(3) Proceed southeast on U.S. Highway 12 into Jackson County and passing through Clark County, to Interstate Highway 94 at Black River Falls; then
(4) Proceed southeast on Interstate Highway 94 into Monroe County to Interstate Highway 90, east of the Fort McCoy Military Reservation; then
(5) Proceed southeast on Interstate Highway 90 through Juneau, Sauk, Columbia, Dane, and Rock Counties, crossing onto the State of Illinois map at Winnebago County to U.S. Highway 20 at Cherry Valley; then
(6) Proceed west on U.S. Highway 20 to Illinois State Highway 2, west of the Rock River; then
(7) Proceed southwest on Illinois State Highway 2, passing through Ogle County and into Lee County, to Illinois State Highway 26 at Dixon; then
(8) Proceed south on Illinois State Highway 26 to Illinois State Highway 5 (which has been redesignated as Interstate Highway 88 on contemporary maps of Illinois); then
(9) Proceed southwest on Illinois State Highway 5 (Interstate Highway 88), passing through Whiteside County and into Rock Island County, to Interstate Highway 80 at Barstow; then
(11) Proceed north-northwest on Interstate Highway 380 into Linn County and Cedar Rapids on the State of Iowa map. Then using the Anamosa map, followed by the Marshalltown map, follow Interstate Highway 380, labeled “Under Construction” on the Anamosa map, northwest through Benton and Buchanan Counties to Black Hawk County, to U.S. Highway 20, southeast of Waterloo and Raymond; then
(12) Using the State of Iowa map, proceed west-northwest on U.S. Highway 20 to Waterloo and U.S. Highway 63; then
(13) Proceed north on U.S. Highway 63 through Bremer, Chicksaw, and Howard Counties, skirting the Upper Iowa River at Chester, and crossing onto the State of Minnesota map at Fillmore County, to Minnesota State Highway 56; then
(14) Proceed northwest and northerly on Minnesota State Highway 56 through Mower, Dodge, and Goodhue Counties to Dakota County, where it joins with State Highway 52 on commercial maps, to Interstate Highway 494 (beltway), south of St. Paul; then
Signed: April 6, 2009.
Approved: May 3, 2009.
[FR Doc. E9-14574 Filed 6-19-09; 8:45 am]