Viticulture in Washington

Washington
Vineyards in the Yakima Valley AVA Denomination of Origin.
Official name:	State of Washington
Appellation type:	State
Year of establishment:	1889
Viticulture tradition since:	1825 until today
Country:	United States
Sub-regions:	Columbia Gorge AVA , Columbia Valley AVA , Horse Heaven Hills AVA , Puget Sound AVA , Rattlesnake Hills AVA , Red Mountain AVA , Wahluke Slope AVA , Walla Walla Valley AVA , Yakima Valley AVA
Recognized cultivation area:	184,775 km² (71,342 sq mi )
Planted acreage:	125.45 km² (31,000 acres )
Grape varieties:	Aligoté , Cabernet Franc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Chardonnay , Chenin Blanc , Gewurztraminer , Grenache , Gamay , Léon Millot , Madeleine Angevine , Madeleine Sylvaner , Malbec , Maréchal Foch , Merlot , Müller-Thurgau , Muscat Canelli , Muscat Ottonel , Niagara , Petit Verdot , Pinot Blanc , Pinot Gris , Pinot Noir , Riesling , Roussanne , Sangiovese , Sauvignon Blanc , Sémillon , Siegerrebe , Syrah , Viognier , Zinfandel

Viticulture in Washington describes viticulture in the American state of Washington . Under US law, every state and county is by definition a protected designation of origin and does not need to be recognized as such by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives .

While there are a few vineyards surrounding Puget Sound in western Washington, there isn't much room for vineyards and the conditions are cool and rainy.

Washington State → approx. 11,800 hectares of vineyards including hybrids and Labrusca

climate

Western Washington (only 1% of total vineyard area)

• mild and humid due to the proximity of the Pacific and the effect of the Puget Sound

Eastern Washington (extensive, agriculturally used hill country, most of the vineyards)

• shielded from sea air by Cascade Mountains
• hot with steppe-like, dry summers and cold to arctic cold winters
• Irrigation necessary
• Vineyards on south and south-west slopes for warmth in winter
• Problem: frost
• high temperature differences between day / night

Most of the vines grow inland in the barren valleys of the Columbia River and its Yakima tributary . Another AVA, Walla Walla, which also extends to Oregon state, is even further east; it is one of the warmer wine-growing regions in the state.

The Columbia River basin lies in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains. With only 200 millimeters of annual rainfall, it is almost a semi-desert, irrigation from the river is essential. The advantages for viticulture are the long hours of sunshine and the consistently high summer temperatures. Sunny days and cool nights allow the grapes to ripen optimally, which develop ripe fruit aromas with high natural acidity . A major problem is severe frosts in winter, in which parts of the vineyard regularly freeze to death and have to be replanted.

The harvest can be reduced by more than half after such a frost. Because of the sandy soils, phylloxera poses no threat, so most vines grow without roots.

Grape varieties

The most important grape varieties are Chardonnay , Merlot and elegant, mature Cabernet Sauvignon , but the sweeping, dark, extremely concentrated Syrah gives rise to great expectations, especially in Walla Walla.

literature

• André Dominé (Ed.): Wine . Tandem Verlag, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-8331-4344-1 .
• Bruce Cass, Jancis Robinson : The Oxford Companion to the Wine of North America . Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2000, ISBN 0-19-860114-X .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Columbia Valley Winery Association (2007). "Washington Grape Acreage and Winery Survey Results Final: April, 2007" . Last access to this page on July 15, 2010.
2. ^ Appellation America (2007). "Washington (state): Appellation Description" . Last access to this page on July 15, 2010.