Columbia Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which lies within the

Columbia River Plateau The Columbia Plateau is an important geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by ...

, through much of central and southern Washington state, with a section crossing the state boundary into northern

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

south of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

. The viticultural area includes the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

and its tributaries through much of Washington. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF),

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

on December 13, 1984 after evaluating the petition filed by Drs, Walter Clore and Wade Wolfe of Prosser, Washington on behalf of Washington’s oldest and largest winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, and by William Blosser of the

Sokol Blosser Winery Sokol Blosser Winery is a historic vineyard, tasting room and winery facility located northeast of Dayton, Oregon in the Red Hills of Dundee in Yamhill County. It was founded by Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser in 1971 in what is now known a ...

, Dundee, Oregon. Allen Shoup, president of Chateau Ste. Michelle, understood the importance of obtaining

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

status to grow the reputation of the Northwest viticulture industry. Columbia Valley's geography covers approximately extending from the east to west and from north to south. ATF included the entire valley within the viticultural area except the portion between Banks Lake and the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...

. Therefore, the Columbia Valley appellation encompasses . Columbia Valley viticultural area is the largest wine region in Washington containing about 99% of the state's viticulture acreage of over and seventeen appellations currently within its boundary. Grapes grown here include

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

Riesling Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

Pinot Gris Pinot gris, pinot grigio (, ), or ''Grauburgunder'' is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety, it normally has a pinkish-gray hue, accounting for its name, but th ...

, and

Sauvignon blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

. Concord grapes and other ''

Vitis labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, ...

'' 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 California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted ''Vitis vinifera'' vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. ...

, but which also retain some of the balance and structure of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an wine.

Name

The name “Columbia Valley" was derived from the river that flows through and defines the region. In 1792, the river was named after the American-built 212-ton fully-rigged ship " Columbia Rediviva" commanded by Captain Robert Gray when he discovered the

river mouth A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean. At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current, reducing the carryin ...

on the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

and navigated into it. In 1804-1806, the Lewis and Clark Pacific Expedition explored and mapped the area, as their maps detail both the

and the Columbia Valley. Later, other explorers and pioneers referred to the treeless basin in Washington, Oregon, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

as the “Columbia Valley”, “Columbia Plain”, “Great Columbia Plain”, “

Columbia Plateau The Columbia Plateau is an important geology, geologic and geography, geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington (state), Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range a ...

”, “ Columbia Basin” and “

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...

.” The term “Columbia Valley” is widely used today to refer to the viticultural area, and appears in literature, magazines, newspapers, and illustrated in maps.

History

Grapes are not indigenous to the Columbia Valley viticultural area, but both Vinifera and Labruscavines are grown. The oldest planted Vinifera vines still in existence were planted by German immigrants in the

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

vicinity, west of Union Gap, in 1871. Others were planted in the Kennewick area in 1895, and in the Walla Walla area by 1899. Planting of premium Vinifera grapes began in the Columbia Valley in the mid 1960’s. By 1981 there were over of Vinifera grapes including of bearing vineyards. Predominant varieties include White Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Semilion, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Pinot Noir, and Grenache. Nearly of Concord grapes also grow within the appellation, but are not used for wine production.

Terroir

Topography

The Columbia Valley is a large, treeless basin surrounding the Yakima, Snake and Columbia Rivers in Washington and Oregon while all surrounding areas are forested. The area is distinguished by its broadly undulating or rolling surface, cut by rivers and broken by long sloping basaltic uplifts extending generally in an east-west direction. The area is dominated by its major rivers. The

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

forms its western boundary with the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...

regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan Highlands form the boundary while on the east, the Greater Spokane area and the eastern portion of the high rolling

Prairie constitute the boundary of the valley. The southern boundary is defined by the Blue Mountains, the contour line and the foothills of the Cascade Mountains southwest of the Columbia River. Elevation in surrounding areas exceeds while the elevation in the Columbia Valley generally does not exceed . It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

, including the Walla Walla, the

Snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

, and Yakima Rivers. Columbia Valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well-known

French wine French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to th ...

growing regions of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

. The northern

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than

regions receive. Columbia Valley’s soils were formed by the Missoula Floods, a series of cataclysmic events over 15,000 years ago. Most vineyards lie below the floodwaters, with soils of windblown deposits of sand and silt loess, overlying gravel and slackwater sediment with a

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

ic bedrock. The

volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...

and

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

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. Seventeen appellations currently designate separate viticultural areas with their unique properties within the vast Columbia Valley area but share common characteristics. They are Ancient Lakes of the Columbia Valley, Candy Mountain, Goose Gap, Horse Heaven Hills, Rattlesnake Hills, Lake Chelan, Naches Heights, Red Mountain, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, Rocky Reach, Rocky Slope, Snipes Mountain, The Burn of Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Wahluke Slope and Yakima Valley. North of the Rattlesnake Hills is a region commonly known as Columbia Cascade, but it is not a recognized American viticultural area. Other distinctive wine growing regions that have not yet partitioned for AVA status include the

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

region located in Adams County and the Tri-Cities area around the towns of

Kennewick Kennewick () is a city in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima ...

, Pasco and Richland.

Climate

Climate differentiates the Columbia Valley viticultural area from surrounding areas. In general, the Columbia Valley viticultural area is characterized as experiencing a growing season of over 150 days, a total degree day average of over 2,000, and annual rainfall of or less. Most of the land in the Oregon portion of the Columbia Valley is located on north facing slopes. This differs from Washington State where nearly all vineyards are located on south facing slopes. This difference makes the Oregon portion of the valley physically and climatologically distinct from Washington. The vast size of the appellation allows for an array of diverse

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

s among the various sub-appellations, but the entire region shares the common climate traits of cold winters and long dry growing seasons with low

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

. The warm days and cool nights of the area help retain the balance of acid and sugar levels in the grape which give Washington wines their characteristic balance in flavors. The peak ripening of the grapes occurs during the last four to six weeks of the growing season, with the grapes hanging on the vines a little longer than in California. This allows the grape more time to develop maturity in

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

s as well as other aroma and profile characteristics that will be brought out in the resulting wines. The longer growing season also allows the grapes to be harvested at a cooler temperature than in other more southerly wine regions. Deep winter freezes are the main climate threat to the grape growing industry of the Columbia Valley. Temperatures can drop from to less than in a matter of hours. Many vineyards incorporate

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

s to maintain air circulation around the grapes and stay warm enough to prevent

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...

. In most years, the vines enter into a long winter

dormancy Dormancy is a period in an organism's Biological life cycle, life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolism, metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserv ...

rather than freeze, which helps the vines come out of the winter and into the growing season healthier.

Growing season

As outlined in the petitions, frost free days () within the Columbia Valley average 150 or more per year. The growing season ranges from a high of 204 days at The Dalles to 201 days at Chelan, Wash.; 194 days at the

Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerhous ...

and at Milton-Freewater, Oreg.; 186 days at Ephrata, Wash.; 184 days at

and

Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

; 175 days at Brewster, Wash.; 171 days at Walla Walla; 164 days at Wasco, Oreg.; 157 days at Clarkston Heights, Wash.; and 152 days at Moro and Heppner, Oregon. Areas outside the Columbia Valley experience a growing season of less than 150 days with seasons averaging 128 days at Goldendale, Wash.; 132 days at Cle Elum, Wash.; 87 days at Plain, Wash.; 124 days at Colville, Wash.; 121 days at Colfax, Wash.; and 137 days at

Dufur, Oregon Dufur is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 604 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is a agriculture, farming community where wheat, fruit tree, tree fruit, and vineyard, grapes a ...

. The portion of the Columbia Valley lying between the Snake River and Banks Lake was deleted from the viticultural area because it experiences a shorter growing season similar to areas outside the Columbia Valley (Colfax 121 days, Ritzville 137 days, Moses Lake 143 days,

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

124 days, Hatton 135 days, Wilson Creek 130 days). Late harvest Semillon

Degree days

Total degree days as measured by the scale developed by Winkler and Amerine of the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

range between 2,000 and 3.000 for areas within the Columbia Valley although some locations experience readings well in excess of 3.000 degree days. Typical readings are 2,636 degree days at Kennewick, Wash.; 2,666 at Sunnyside, Wash.; 2,274 at Yakima; 2,818 at Wenatchee, Wash.; 2,512 at Grand Coulee Dam, Wash.; ,605 at Clarkston Heights, Wash.; 2,881 at Walla Walla (FAA); 3,230 at Richland, Wash.; 3,014 at The Dalles; 2,073 at Moro, Oreg.; 2,040 at Heppner, Oreg.; 3,006 at Milton-Freewater, Oreg.; and 2,711 degree days at Pendleton, Oreg. Surrounding areas experience less than 2,000 degree days with 1,820 at Goldendale, Wash.; 1,678 at Cle Elum, Wash.; and 1,901 degree days at Colville, Washington.

Rainfall

In Columbia Valley, rainfall is less than annually, ranging from throughout Benton County, Wash., to in Wenatchee, Wash.; in Walla Walla; in Clarkston Heights, Wash.; at The Dalles; at Moro, Oreg.; at Milton-Freewater, Oreg.; and at Pendleton. Rainfall in surrounding areas is higher, with an annual average of at Goldendale, Wash.; at Cle Elum, Wash.; at Colville, Wash.; and at Mill Creek, Washington. Drip irrigation system

Irrigation

The

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia Valley with some areas receiving less than of annual rainfall. The development of intricate

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

systems has allowed this area to become a premium grape growing region. Using water from the nearby Columbia,

and Walla Walla Rivers growers are able to precisely control the timing and amount of water that the vines receive. This control over the vines' potential vigor has a large influence on better yields and fruit quality.

Columbia Valley Viticultural Areas _{(as of 2023)}

* Yakima Valley (Est. May 1983; ) ** Red Mountain (Est. Apr 2001; ) ** Rattlesnake Hills (Est. Mar 2006; ) ** Snipes Mountain (Est. Feb 2009;) ** Goose Gap (Est. Aug 2021; ) * Walla Walla Valley (Est. Mar 1984; ) * Horse Heaven Hills (Est. Jun 2005; ) * Wahluke Slope (Est. Jan 2006; } * Lake Chelan (Est. May 2009; ) * Naches Heights (Est. Jan 2012; ) * Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley * The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater {Est. Mar 2015; ) * Royal Slope (Est. Oct 2020; ) * Candy Mountain (Est. Oct 2020; ) * The Burn of Columbia Valley (Est. Jul 2021; ) * White Bluffs (Est. Jul 2021; ) * Rocky Reach (Est. Jul 2022; )

References

External links

Columbia Valley AVA

Columbia Basin, Washington State Department of Natural Resources

The Next Napa: Washington Wine Country

TTB AVA Map
{{coord , 46.35558267, -119.90666930, format=dms, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WA_dim:27000 American Viticultural Areas of Washington (state) 1983 establishments in Washington (state)