A new American Viticultural Area, or AVA, has been designated in the Willamette Valley denoting the area’s unique wine-growing climate and geography.

The Lower Long Tom AVA was approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on Nov. 10, and went into effect Friday. It is Oregon’s 22nd AVA statewide, and the 10th nested within the Willamette Valley.

AVAs are a federal appellation for wine-producing regions with distinct characteristics, such as soils, elevation and other physical features.

Winemakers in the area can use the AVA name as a marketing tool, potentially fetching higher prices from consumers based on quality and reputation of their grapes.

“Oregon’s newest viticultural area acknowledges the increasing appreciation our grape growers and winemakers are developing for site-specific growing conditions and flavor complexity,” said Tom Danowski, executive director of the Oregon Wine Board.

Located in Lane and Benton counties, the Lower Long Tom AVA is characterized by a chain of rolling hills, separated by east-to-west valleys formed by the tributaries of the region’s namesake Long Tom River. Most vineyards in the appellation are on stream-cut ridge lines, at an elevation of between 450 and 650 feet.

The 25,000-acre area is home to 12 wineries and 24 vineyards, with 575 acres of vines. Like the rest of the Willamette Valley, pinot noir is the predominant grape variety, though winemakers also produce chardonnay, riesling, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc, among others.

Four years ago, Dieter Boehm of High Pass Winery in Junction City petitioned the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to establish the Lower Long Tom AVA.

Boehm’s petition describes several distinguishing characteristics, including relatively shallow clay-loam soils that create stress on the vines and foster ripening of fruit. To the west, the Oregon Coast Range serves as a “weather shield,” with the rain shadow contributing to consistent wine-grape maturity.

“In the shadow of Prairie Mountain and the Coast Range, Lower Long Tom will add a unique dimension to the Willamette Valley’s esteemed reputation for extraordinarily elegant and expressive fruit,” Danowski said.

Matt Shown, a second-generation winemaker at Brigadoon Wine Co. in Junction City, described the area as “warm, genuine, authentic and down-to-earth, with passionate owners and farmers connected to the land.”

“That for this place goes beyond wine and permeates our daily lives,” Shown said.

Morgen McLaughlin, executive director of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, said she is excited to see pinot noir and other signature wines from the Lower Long Tom AVA recognized as part of the larger Willamette Valley wine scene.

“Winemakers love pinot noir because it’s an expressive grape,” McLaughlin said. “It insists on telling you where it’s from.”

Oregon is home to 995 wineries and 1,370 vineyards, generating a total economic impact of $7.2 billion, according to the wine board.