Martha's Vineyard AVA Martha's Vineyard AVA The Martha's Vineyard AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Dukes County, Massachusetts, including all of the land on the islands named Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick Island. These two islands are located off the southern Massachusetts coast, surrounded by Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. The creation of the AVA in 1985 was controversial. Objections were lodged by the proprietors of a vineyard in California also named Martha's Vineyard, who felt that the creation of an AVA with the same name would dilute their brand value. Federal regulators ruled in favor of the AVA,
Martha's Vineyard (steamboat) It is the third vessel to be named after Martha's Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard (steamboat) The Martha's Vineyard was a sidewheel steamer operating as a ferry serving the island of Martha's Vineyard during the second half of the nineteenth century. It was built in 1871 in Brooklyn, NY. It was a 515-ton vessel, 185 feet long, with a 29' beam. A 1961 "Vineyard Gazette" article noted the beauty of the vessel: "The "Martha's Vineyard"...had decorated paddleboxes that made large, rhythmic and beautiful half-circles on the sides." as well as how exposed it was: " The "Martha's Vineyard" at first had no