Columbia Valley AVA

Columbia Valley AVA

Wine region
Official name	Columbia Valley AVA
Type	American Viticultural Area
Year established	1984
Country	United States
Part of	Oregon, Washington
Sub-regions	Ancient Lakes AVA, Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Rattlesnake Hills AVA, Red Mountain AVA, The Rocks AVA, Wahluke Slope AVA, Walla Walla Valley AVA, Yakima Valley AVA
Growing season	180-200 days
Climate region	Continental/Mediterranean
Precipitation (annual average)	6 inches (15 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm)
Total area	11,000,000 acres (4,500,000 ha)
Size of planted vineyards	17,000 acres (6,900 ha)
Grapes produced	Barbera, Black Muscat, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Counoise, Gamay Beaujolais, Gamay noir, Gewurztraminer, Grenache, Lemberger, Malbec, Marsanne, Merlot, Morio Muskat, Mourvedre, Muscadelle, Muscat Canelli, Nebbiolo, Orange Muscat, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Royalty, Sangiovese, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Siegerrebe, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel
Wine produced	Varietal, dessert wine, Meritage, and sparkling wine
Comments	Map depicts only Washington State of the Columbia Valley AVA which also extends into northern Oregon.

The Columbia Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in the Columbia River Plateau, through much of central and southern Washington State, with a small section crossing into the neighboring state of Oregon. The AVA includes the drainage basin of the Columbia River and its tributaries through much of Washington. Allen Shoup, president of Washington State's largest winery Chateau Ste. Michelle, understood the importance of obtaining appellation status for Washington State to grow the reputation of the vineyards. He hired Drs. Wade Wolfe and Walter Clore to petition the federal government for appellation status, a request that was granted in 1984. The Columbia Valley AVA is the largest wine region in the state of Washington, including over 11,000,000 acres (4,500,000 ha), of which over 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) are planted in vineyards. The Columbia Valley AVA includes 99% of the total vineyard area planted in the state of Washington. Grapes grown here include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot gris, and Sauvignon blanc. Concord grapes and other Vitis labrusca grapes are grown in the region as well. The unique climates of the area allow the Columbia Valley to produce wines that are very fruit-forward, like California wine, but which also retain some of the balance and structure of European wine.

The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada. It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Walla Walla River, the Snake River, and the Yakima River. The Columbia valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well known French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The northern latitude gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than wine regions of California receive. The volcanic and sandy loam soil of the valley offers good drainage and is poor in nutrients, ideal in forcing the vine to concentrate its resources into the grape clusters.

...
Wikipedia