Wahluke Slope is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located within

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It was established on January 6, 2006, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB),

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 ...

after reviewing the petition submitted by the Wahluke Slope Wine Grape Growers Association (WSWGGA), represented by Alan J. Busacca, Ph.D., proposing the establishment of the viticultural area named "Wahluke Slope." Wahluke Slope is approximately southeast of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and immediately north of the

Hanford Reservation The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It has also ...

of the United States Department of Energy (USDOE). "Wahluke" is a Native American word for "watering place," The appellation is within the vast

Columbia Valley AVA Columbia Valley is an American Viticultural Area, American Viticultural Area (AVA) which lies within the Columbia River Plateau, through much of central and southern Washington (state), Washington state, with a section crossing the state bounda ...

and encompasses with approximately under vine which is nearly 15 percent of the state's total wine grape acreage. It is resident to more than 20 vineyards and at least three wine production facilities. The region cultivates Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, but is primarily known for its

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 ...

and

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 ...

Geography and climate

Wahluke Slope viticultural area is located on the Wahluke Slope of

Grant County, Washington Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,123. The county seat is Ephrata, and the largest city is Moses Lake. The county was formed out of Douglas County in February 19 ...

. It extends from 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 ...

in the west, the

Hanford Site The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It has also been known as SiteW and the Hanford Nuclear R ...

boundary in the southwest, the north bank of the

on the south up to the Wahluke Slope Wildlife Refuge in the east, and along the elevation of the

Saddle Mountains The Saddle Mountains consists of an upfolded anticline ridge of basalt in Grant County of central Washington state. The ridge, reaching to 2,700 feet, terminates in the east south of Othello, Washington near the foot of the Drumheller Channel ...

on the north. Wahluke Slope has one of the driest, warmest climates in the state, allowing nearly complete control of vine vigor and ripening through irrigation. The entire appellation sits on a large alluvial fan, making the soils notably uniform over a large area. The topsoil is deep, wind-blown sand with a depth, on average, of more than . This provides both ample drainage for vinifera vines and greater uniformity in plant vigor and ripening than seen in other areas of Washington. The major distinguishing feature of the Wahluke Slope is its uniformity in aspect, soil type, and climate. The entire appellation lies on a broad, south-facing slope with a constant, gentle grade of less than 8%. This, along with the proximity to the Columbia River, helps minimize the risk of frost, which can affect other areas of the state. The highest temperature ever measured in Washington state, as of 2021, was recorded at Wahluke on July 24, 1928, at . This record was later tied at

Ice Harbor Dam Ice Harbor Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete gravity run-of-the-river dam in the northwest United States. On the lower Snake River in southeastern Washington, it bridges Walla Walla and Franklin counties. Located northeast of Bur ...

in 1961. The temperature was eventually surpassed on June 29, 2021, when

Hanford Hanford may refer to: Places *Hanford (constituency), a constituency in Tuen Mun, People's Republic of China *Hanford, Dorset, a village and parish in England *Hanford, Staffordshire, England *Hanford, California, United States *Hanford, Iowa, ...

reached . The area is largely within the

Mattawa, Washington Mattawa is an incorporated city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,335 at the 2020 census. History The town of Mattawa was originally platted in 1909 by E. and Eva Campbell, but was not incorporated at that time ...

99349 area code. Middle-saddle-mountains-sentinel-gap-looking-northwesterly-P4140091

References

External links

Washington Wine

TTB AVA Map
American Viticultural Areas of Washington (state) Geography of Grant County, Washington 2006 establishments in Washington (state) {{wine-region-stub

Geography and climate

See also

References

External links