Washington Flashcards
Washington is the nation’s __largest producer of premium wines, accounting for approximately _% of the nation’s total production
2nd, 5
With the exception of approximately 80 acres of vineyard near Seattle in Puget Sound AVA, the state’s wine regions are all located-
to the east of the Cascades
Describe the Cascade mountain rain shadow effect
makes irrigation commonplace—rainfall is often less than 10 inches a year
Eastern Washington experiences a true __ climate
continental
Describe climate of eastern Washington
hot summers/cold winters; frost and winter freezes are serious concerns for growers
Despite its northerly location, ripeness is easily achieved in the warm growing seasons, as Washington’s vineyards receive-
additional summer sunshine in accordance with its latitude
What necessitate Washington’s focus on quality over bulk quantity?
relative youth as a wine producer, entrenched wheat farming and a finite supply of water rights for irrigation
How are Washington’s appellations planted?
not densely, as growers cultivated only 36,000 acres of vineyard statewide in 2009
What is the largest appellation in the state, covering eleven million acres—nearly a third of Washington’s landmass?
Columbia Valley AVA
What 10 smaller regions within Columbia Valley have gained AVA status?
- Red Mountain
- Yakima Valley
- Walla Walla Valley
- Wahluke Slope
- Snipes Mountain
- Rattlesnake Hills
- Lake Chelan
- Horse Heaven Hills
- Naches Heights
- Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley
What was approved as Washington’s first AVA in 1983?
Yakima Valley
What contains over one-third of the state’s vineyards?
Yakima Valley
What is Yakima Valley’s most planted grape?
Chardonnay
Within the eastern edge of Yakima Valley, the __ AVA has developed a reputation for noteworthy CabSauv
Red Mountain
What is Washington’s smallest AVA?
Red Mountain AVA
To the east, of Red Mountain, vineyard acreage in the __ expanded from 450 acres to over 1600 in the first decade of the 21st century
Walla Walla Valley
What are Walla Walla’s most acclaimed varieties, comprising over 80% of its current plantings?
CabSauv, Merlot, and Syrah
What are the soils of Walla Walla?
basalt bedrock and thin alluvial topsoil, deposited by the same Missoula Floods that washed through the Willamette Valley at the end of the last ice age. Loess is everywhere
One area of Walla Walla, , features-, located entirely in Oregon, received its own AVA status
a topsoil of basalt cobblestones that draws comparisons to the galets of Châteauneuf-du-Pape—and producers are just beginning to explore its potential for Rhône-style wines
When did the Rocks of Milton-Freewater, located entirely in Oregon, receive its own AVA status?
in early 2015
