The Mid-Atlantic brings together wine areas in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Growers use European grape varieties as well as American varieties and hybrids bred from different vine species. Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley grows Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Vidal and Riesling. Lancaster Valley became Pennsylvania's first official American Viticultural Area, or AVA, in 1982; it has limestone and clay soils and grows both hybrid and European grapes. New Jersey's plantings range from Pinot Noir and Riesling in the north to Sangiovese and Barbera in the south. The Atlantic and Delaware Bay moderate conditions on its flat Outer Coastal Plain. Western Maryland grows early-ripening, cold-hardy Marquette, as well as Valvin Muscat. In West Virginia, the length of the growing season and the risk of winter cold influence which grapes growers plant.
4 named areas
Inside the region
Explore the wine-growing areas of Mid-Atlantic.
- 01MarylandNo producers listed yetWestern Maryland's mountain sites favour grapes suited to cooler conditions. Marquette is a cold-hardy red grape that ripens very early, while Valvin Muscat and Vignoles give the west a different white-grape focus from the east.
- 02New JerseyNo producers listed yetNew Jersey has four AVAs, including Central Delaware Valley, which crosses the Delaware River into southeastern Pennsylvania. Its vineyards grow vinifera and hybrid grapes, with Pinot Noir and Riesling in the north and Sangiovese and Barbera further south.
- 03PennsylvaniaNo producers listed yetPennsylvania includes Lehigh Valley and Lancaster Valley, where hybrids and vinifera grow side by side. Lancaster Valley's limestone and clay soils help vines maintain ripeness, while Central Delaware Valley follows the Delaware River into southeastern Pennsylvania.
- 04West VirginiaNo producers listed yetCold risk and growing-season length shape West Virginia winegrowing. Growers work with European, American and hybrid grapes, using deep, well-drained soils and carefully chosen sites to support ripening and reduce exposure to late spring frost.