Washington | Wine Terms

WINE TERMS

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Washington

Washington winemaking is thought to have begun in the 1870s, although the first VITIS VINIFERA vines weren’t planted until the early 1900s. PROHIBITION and Washington state laws managed to put a damper on most activity from 1920 to the 1960s. However, Washington has blossomed since the mid-1960s and now has over 200 wineries and 30,000 acres of Vitis vinifera vineyards. It’s the second largest producer (after California) of high-quality wine in the United States. Most of Washington’s better vineyards are located in the eastern portion of the state, where the Cascade Mountains block the cool, damp weather prevalent in the western part. Washington’s three primary growing regions are here—COLUMBIA VALLEY AVA, YAKIMA VALLEY AVA, and WALLA WALLA AVA (the latter two are encompassed by the huge Columbia Valley AVA). RED MOUNTAIN AVA is a small subregion of the Yakama Valley AVA approved in 2001. These APPELLATIONS are the warmest growing areas in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from Region I to Region III (see CLIMATE REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA). The eastern region has the dry climate that is ideal for grapes and requires some irrigation during the growing season. Because of the varying temperatures throughout the eastern part of Washington, different grape varieties do well in its various locations. This means that MERLOT, a warm-weather grape, and RIESLING, a cool-weather grape, can both flourish. CABERNET W SAUVIGNON, CHENIN BLANC, SAUVIGNON BLANC, and SÉMILLON are also grown, as well as CONCORD and other VITIS LABRUSCA varieties. Another large area with limited acreage is the PUGET SOUND AVA, located around Puget Sound in western Washington. Although not a designated area, a region worth noting is in southwestern Washington (Clark County) just north of Portland, Oregon. Its climate is similar to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which has great success with PINOT NOIR, Riesling, and CHARDONNAY.

Related Links: Yakima Valley AVA, Catoctin AVA

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