Oh dear. I fear this question is a result of my having used the expression “wine countries” recently while answering another Mahalo question. I was trying not to get all wine-geeky by saying “AVA” (or even worse, “American Viticultural Area”). But I ended up “geeking-out anyway!
A wine country may also be referred to as a wine region. These are very convenient terms for both marketing and conversational purposes. After all, we go to foreign countries for an exciting change of pace and a little something exotic. Why not go to wine countries – for the lifestyle, cuisine, the scenery…and the wine.

An AVA or American Viticultual Area is a legal term which has consequences in terms of what goes in your bottle and how it is labeled.
“An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is an officially recognized "delimited grape growing region distinguishable by geographical features, the boundaries of which have been recognized and defined" through a petition process (Code of Federal Regulations).” ref
Source(s):
http://www.napavintners.com/
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