Whereas wineries and vintners in the United States contribute to the economic and cultural life of the Nation; Whereas the economic contributions of wineries and vintners in the United States is significant and expansive, attributable to the activities of growers, suppliers, researchers, marketers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers, among others; Whereas the American wine industry is estimated to have generated, directly and indirectly, more than $219 billion for the United States economy in 2017; Whereas there are more than 10,000 wineries operating in all 50 States; Whereas many of these wineries are small businesses and family owned; Whereas the wine industry directly employs nearly 1 million people in the United States and supports nearly 300,000 jobs in industries that supply goods and services to winegrowers and wineries; Whereas the wages earned by those directly employed by wineries and the wine industry totaled more than $33 billion in 2017; Whereas wineries and wine regions not only drive economic activity through the production, distribution, and sale of wine but also attract substantial tourism-related interest and spending; Whereas wine regions in the United States each year host more than 43 million tourists and generate nearly $18 billion in tourism expenditures; Whereas wine tourism supported 375,000 jobs that paid more than $10 billion in wages in 2017; Whereas American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) are designated wine-growing regions in the United States that have distinguishing features affecting viticulture, including climate, geology, soils, physical features, and elevation; Whereas 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of the Department of the Treasury Decision to establish the American Viticulture Area designation system; Whereas the first American Viticultural Area was approved on June 20, 1980, for Augusta, Missouri, and, as of January 1, 2018, there have been 240 American Viticultural Areas established in the United States