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Yakima Valley AVA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Appellation type: |
American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established: |
1983 |
| Part of: | Columbia Valley AVA |
| Sub-regions: | Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Red Mountain AVA, Rattlesnake Hills AVA |
| Growing season: |
190 day |
| Precipitation (annual average): |
8 inches (200 mm) |
| Soil conditions: | Silt-loam |
| Size of planted vineyards: |
10,000 acres (40 km²) vineyard |
| Grapes produced: | Major-Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Syrah |
| Wine produced: | Varietal, Dessert wine, Sparkling wine, Meritage |
| Comments: | Map does not include southern Horse Heaven Hills AVA which is also part of the Yakima Valley AVA that extends southward towards the Oregon border. |
The Yakima Valley AVA was the first American Viticultural Area established within Washington State, gaining the recognition in 1983. Part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, Yakima Valley AVA is home to more than 11,000 acres (44 km²) of vineyards, giving the area the largest concentration of wineries and vineyards in the state of Washington. The most widely planted varietals in the area are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling.[1] Nearly 40% of Washington state yearly wine production is made from Yakima Valley grapes.[2] In addition to grapes, the Yakima Valley is also home to several fruit orchards growing apples, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. Around the town of Zillah there is the Zillah Fruit Loop driving tour through the area's orchards and vineyards. The area is also home to nearly 80 percent of the US hop production.[3]
Contents |
The Yakima Valley's borders are almost completely formed by sub-AVAs with the Rattlesnake Hills AVA to the north, the Horse Heaven Hills AVA to the south and the Red Mountain AVA forming parts of its eastern boundaries. To the west, the Cascade Range forms a natural border and creates a rain shadow over the area which requires the use of irrigation in grape viticulture.[1] The appellation covers 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) of land that is mostly contained within Yakima County, Washington with the eastern edge extending into Benton County. The cities of Yakima and Prosser are the main commercial center where many wineries are located near. To the west Mount Adams dominates the landscape as well as the Yakima River on its eastward flow to the Columbia River.[4]
Overall the temperature of the Yakima Valley is more temperate then the rest of the greater Columbia Valley AVA,[1] with average temperatures being 5 to 10 degrees cooler.[5]
A French winemaker from Alsace-Lorraine named Charles Schanno is credited with planting the first vines in the area in 1869.[1] Schanno purchase the cuttings from a vineyard in The Dalles, Oregon and the Hudson's Bay Company outpost at Fort Vancouver.[6] In the early 20th century William B. Bridgeman, an attorney from Seattle, pioneered the modern wine industry in the Yakima Valley. Bridgeman help draft some of the states earliest irrigation laws for wine growing and planted his first vineyard in 1914. Many of the vineyards established in the Yakima Valley during this period came from Bridgeman's cuttings.[7] Following the repeal of Prohibition, Bridgeman opened up Upland Winery and hired Erich Steenborg as winemaker. Together they were influential in promoting the use of varietal labelling for wines made in the Yakima Valley, including the state's first dry Riesling.[8]
In 1917, the Washington State Legislature passed an act setting aside 200 acres (0.8 km²) of sagebrush desert near Prosser to become an agriculture research center known as the Irrigation Branch Experiment Station (Today known as the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center). The first crop was 6 acres of apples used in an irrigation study . In 1937, the research center hired Walter Clore as an assistant horticulturist. Under Clore's guidance, the center expanded into grape growing with Vitis labrusca, Vitis vinifera and American hybrid grape plantings. Research from the center would become vital to the growing Washington wine industry.[9]
In the 1980s, along with the rest of the Washington wine industry, the Yakima Valley saw a boom in the plantings of new vineyards and the openings of new wineries such as Hogue Cellars and Covey Run both opening in 1982.[10]
The Yakima Valley AVA is home to some of the states oldest vineyards with nearly every major Washington wine maker securing at least some of their grapes from this appellation.[11] Red Willow vineyards near Wapato stands at the highest point in the Yakima Valley AVA at 1,300 feet (400 m) above sea level. The vineyard is known as the primary grape supplier to Columbia Winery. It was from this vineyard that winemaker David Lake produced the first Syrah in Washington state.[3] Chardonnay is a popular planting in this cool climate appellations with most wine growers preferring a single clonal variety.[4] Nearly any grape can ripen at some location within this diverse AVA. The most sought after sites are located on the eastern edge of the AVA near Red Mountain, Prosser and Benton City.[5]
As the Washington wine industry began to focus more on terroir, the Yakima AVA was divided into sub-appellations that demonstrated unique micro-climates and soil conditions which crafted different wines from their neighboring areas.
- Official Site
- Yakima Valley Wine Region
- List of Wineries in the Yakima Valley - with link to map
- ^ a b c d T. Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 36 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0971925852
- ^ C. Fallis, editor The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine pg 51 Global Book Publishing 2006 ISBN 1740480503
- ^ a b T. Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 37 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0971925852
- ^ a b H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 290 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 ISBN 1840003324
- ^ a b P. Gregutt Yakima Valley AVA Appellation America
- ^ R. Irvine & W. Clore The Wine Project pg 79 Sketch Publications 1997 ISBN 0-9650834-9-7
- ^ T. Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 8 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0971925852
- ^ T. Parker Discovering Washington Wines pg 10 Raconteurs Press 2002 ISBN 0971925852
- ^ R. Irvine & W. Clore The Wine Project pg 21-22 Sketch Publications 1997 ISBN 0-9650834-9-7
- ^ R. Irvine & W. Clore The Wine Project pg 269 Sketch Publications 1997 ISBN 0-9650834-9-7
- ^ P. Gregutt "Casing Out The Good Stuff" Seattle Times November 12, 2006
