Washington AVAs
Washington ranks second in the United States (behind California) in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres of vineyards, a harvest of 208,000 tons of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half.
The state's northerly location above the 46th parallel north allows Washington's major wine growing regions to experience 17 hours of sunlight in the summer—two more hours of sunlight during the peak of the growing season than what California sees further south. During the growing season Eastern Washington experiences a wide diurnal temperature variation (up to 40 °F) difference between daytime highs and nighttime lows) which allows the fruit to fully ripen while the cool nights help the vines to shut down, allowing the grape to maintain natural levels of acidity.
Eastern Washington AVAs
The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry.
In addition to providing vital irrigation sources, the rivers also help to moderate temperatures during the winter which is prone to severe frost and freeze coming from the Arctic. In winter, overnight temperatures in the wine growing regions of Eastern Washington can drop to as low as −15 °F. The sudden drop to these sub-zero temperatures can make the water in a vine's wood canopy quickly freeze which can cause the vine to literally burst open. The severity of these conditions can wreak havoc on a year's harvest.
The topsoil found throughout the Columbia Valley is mostly sandy and stone-studded on top of a basalt-based soil foundation created by persistent lava. These sandy loam vineyard soils create a nearly inhospitable environment for the phylloxera louse, which may be one of the reasons why the phylloxera epidemic has not ravaged the Washington wine industry as it has the Californian and French wine industries in the past.
Nearest Large Cities
Spokane
Portland
Nearest Airports
GEG
Spokane International Airport
PDX
Portland International Airport
Puget Sound AVA
Established on 3 October 1995, the Puget Sound AVA is located in Western Washington. Named after the body of water that stretches across the region, Puget Sound AVA has the distinction of being Washington’s only growing region located west of the Cascade Mountains, making it the state’s coolest and wettest growing region.
The Puget Sound AVA extends from the foothills of the Cascades to the Olympic Peninsula and islands located in Puget Sound. It encompasses a wide swath of land—including numerous islands—from the Canadian border to the north through Seattle to Olympia, the state’s capitol to the south.
The climate is greatly affected by the marine influences of nearby Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean which contributes to mild temperatures, wet winters and dry summers – all of which make it ideal for some cool-climate grape varieties. The region experiences more sunshine than Bordeaux and is drier in average precipitation than Burgundy. In contrast, Washington’s growing regions east of the Cascade crest have arid or semi-arid, continental climates.
Rainfall ranges from 15 inches to 60 inches annually, with most precipitation occurring from November through April. In contrast, summers are typically fairly warm and dry. The abundant rainfall means that most vineyards in this area can dry farm, in contrast to eastern Washington where irrigation is required due to the desert climate.
The soils of this region are gravelly sandy loam over a glacial hardpan, which provides good surface drainage and an attractive environment for vine growth.
Only 1% of the state’s wine grapes are grown in this region. Of the region's 5.5 million acres, only 200 acres were planted as of 2008 – mostly to cool weather varieties, which dominate in this area, with Pinot Noir the most planted variety followed by Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. Also increasingly found are less common varietals such as Madeleine Angevine, Müller-Thurgau, Regent, St. Laurent, Zweigelt, Dornfelder, Garanoir, and Siegerrebe.
Nearest Large Cities
Seattle
Tacoma
Olympia
Nearest Airports
SEA
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport