Minnesota is part of the largest American Viticultural Area (AVA), the Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA, which includes southwest Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, and northwest Illinois.

The state also has a smaller designated American Viticultural Areas, the Alexandria Lakes AVA.

Minnesota is a very cold climate for viticulture and many grape varieties require protection from the winter weather by being buried under soil for the season.

Minnesota is home to extensive research on cold-hardy French hybrid and other grape varieties.

[4] Horticulturalist Elmer Swenson created commercially successful, cold-climate varieties in Minnesota including the Edelweiss and St. Croix grapes.