(Wines&Vines) - The designation of a new viticultural area in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley will help local wineries hone the story of winemaking in southern Oregon. The new Elkton Oregon AVA, which becomes effective March 7, was announced last week by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. It encompasses 74,900 acres currently within the larger Umpqua Valley AVA and the Southern Oregon AVA. While just a smidgen of the new AVA is planted to grapes—96.5 acres, according to the new rule, in just 12 commercial vineyards—a group of eight growers led by Michael Landt of Elkton felt a new AVA was important to distinguish the area from the larger Umpqua Valley.