Washington

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WASHINGTON
Washington Wine Quality Alliance

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created to allow member wineries to use a specially create alliance logo on their labels and in their advertising in return for following three guidelines

1. if any AVA name, county name, or the state name is used on the label, 100% of the grapes must come from named place
2. all wines carrying a WA place name must be made from 100% vinifera grapes and contain no additives to flavor the wine or change the color/aroma
3. the term "reserve" may be used only for wines that are made from 100% WA grapes, and can be applied to a max. of 10% of the winery's total production of any variety or 3,000 cases of that variety, whichever is the greater amount

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WASHINGTON
climate

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two distinct climatic regions for grape growing, separated by Cascade Mountains:
- WESTERN side of mountains: toward the coast, maritime climate experiences substantially more rainfall, smaller swings between high/low temps
- EASTERN side of mountains: continental climate, semidesert conditions. much less rainfall, warmer days, cooler nights. irrigation necessary

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WASHINGTON
landscape, soil

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- LANDSCAPE: vines located in valleys, usually planted on low-lying slopes, but also on valley floors
- SOIL: deep, fertile, light-textured, silty, sandy, or clay loams over volcanic bedrock

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WASHINGTON
viticulture and grapes

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- VITICULTURE: vines are ungrafted, irrigation widely practiced
- PRIMARY GRAPES: cab sauv, chard, merlot, riesling, syrah
- SECONDAY GRAPES: cab franc, sangiovese, sauv blanc, semillon, viognier

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WASHINGTON
wine styles

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- wines usually labeled by varietal
- naturally crisp, fruity style favored by the climate is enhanced by cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks for many of the white wines
- occasionally, chard, semillon and sauv blanc wines will see wod fermentation/aging

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WASHINGTON
wine regions

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Puget Sound
Columbia Gorge
Columbia Valley
Horse Heaven Hills
Lake Chelan
Puget Sound
Wahluke Slope
Walla Walla Valley
Yakima Valley

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PUGET SOUND
location

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appellation covers large area from Mount Baker and San Juan Islands north of Seattle to as far south as Olympia at base of Puget Sound, which separates Olympic Peninsula from mainland

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COLUMBIA VALLEY
location, landscape, climate

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- LOCATION: extends southward into Oregon
- LANDSCAPE: huge AVA, encompasses eight smaller subappellations
- CLIMATE: semi-arid, almost desert conditions make irrigation a requirement for vine survival

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COLUMBIA VALLEY
subappellations

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Naches Heights
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley
Walla Walla Valley (shared with Oregon)
Horse Heaven Hills
Lake Chelan
Wahluke Slope
Columbia Gorge (shared with Oregon)
Yakima Valley

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NACHES HEIGHTS
general info, location, landscape, soil, climate

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- INFO: first Washington AVA to be fully sustainable: all 7 vineyards practice either biodynamic or LIVE (low input viticulture and enology) certification
- LOCATION: west of city of Yakima
- LANDSCAPE: plateau, ranging from 1,200-2,100ft elev.
- SOIL: volcanic loess
- CLIMATE: very dry, irrigation is necessary

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ANCIENT LAKES OF COLUMBIA VALLEY
general info, landscape, soil, climate, grapes

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- INFO: a.k.a Quincy yBasin
- LANDSCAPE: comprised of 3 lakes
- SOIL: mostly fine sand, very fine sandy loam
- CLIMATE: one of the cooler areas in WA
- GRAPES: chard and riesling prominent, also syrah, pinot noir, bordeaux varieties, et. al.

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WALLA WALLA VALLEY
location, climate, grapes

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- LOCATION: in southeast corner of state, partly extending into Oregon and eastern edge rising rapidly into Blue Mountains
- CLIMATE: warmer valley floor and cooler hillsides
- GRAPES: cab sauv and merlot on valley floor, riesling and gewurz on hillsides
- SOIL: glacial silt loam
- LANDSCAPE: Walla Walla River forms basis for appellation

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HORSE HEAVEN HILLS
landscape, climate

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- LANDSCAPE: south-facing slopes and good elevation (up to 1,800ft)
- CLIMATE: elevation mediates against frost damage

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LAKE CHELAN
location, grapes

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- LOCATION: most northerly appellation in WA. sits at eastern end of Lake Chelan where it meets Columbia River
- GRAPES: mostly cooler-climate white grapes, like chard and riesling

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WAHLUKE SLOPE
climate, grapes

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- CLIMATE: particularly hot and ddry area, irrigation is essential
- GRAPES: red varieties dominate, but also some sauv blanc and chard

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COLUMBIA GORGE
location, climate, grapes

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- LOCATION: adjacent to southeastern end of Columbia Valley appellation
- CLIMATE: cool maritime influence
- GRAPES: chard, pinot gris, riesling, gewurztraminer

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YAKIMA VALLEY
location, landscape, climate

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- LOCATION: within larger Columbia Valley, runs east/west from Yakima to Kennewick and covers valley floor of the Yakima River and surrounding foothills of the Toppenish Ridge and the Ahtanum Ridge. encompasses Rattlesnake Hills AVA and Snipes Mountain AVA
- LANDSCAPE: mostly southeast-facing slopes
- CLIMATE: generally cooler than in the Columbia Valley, but couple of hot spots at eastern/western extremes

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YAKIMA VALLEY
subappellations

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Rattlesnake Hills
Red Mountain
Snipes Mountain

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RATTLESNAKE HILLS
location, grapes

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- LANDSCAPE: south-facing slopes and higher elevation, up to 3,000ft
- GRAPES: cab sauv, cab franc, syrah, merlot

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RED MOUNTAIN
location, landscape, soil, grapes

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- LOCATION: north of the Yakima River just around Richland
- LANDSCAPE: WA's smallest appellation. broad slopes, great southern exposure
- SOIL: friable, mineral soils, sandy loam w/ high calcium content
- GRAPES: mostly cab sauv, w/ cab franc, sangiovese, syrah

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SNIPES MOUNTAIN
landscape, soil, grapes

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- LANDSCAPE: south-facing slopes
- SOIL: area distinguished by large, ancient river rock pebbles in the soil
- GRAPES: mostly cab sauv and syrah