Washington State

Question 1

What is the average rainfall east of the cascade mountains?

Answer 1

10-12 inches

Question 2

What is the climate east of the Cascade Mountains?

Answer 2

True Continental - hot summers/cold winters

Question 3

Due to it’s Northernly Location what affect does this have on the hours of sunlight?

Answer 3

There are more hours of sunlight

Question 4

Why are the winters of serious concern?

Answer 4

Intense freezes can kill the roots of vines.

Question 5

In general, what are the soils East of the Cascade?

Answer 5

Bedrock is invariably basalt, overlaid by sediments deposited by the Missoula Floods, a catastrophic cycle of massive floods that occurred repeatedly at the end of the last ice age, some 12,000-18,000 years ago.

Question 6

In what kind of soil are vineyards most commonly planted in WA?

Answer 6

Vineyards in eastern Washington are thus generally planted on sandy or silty loam soils derived from the flood-borne sediments.

Question 7

What is the largest appellation in Washington State?

Answer 7

Columbia Valley AVA

Question 8

What is the size of the Columbia Valley AVA?

Answer 8

Over a 1/4 of Washington’s land mass - 11 million acres.

Question 9

What is the geographical outline of the Columbia Valley AVA?

Answer 9

The Columbia River Basin

Question 10

What AVA’s are included in the Columbia Valley AVA?

Answer 10

Yakima Valley (The 1st AVA in 1983)
Walla Walla Valley
Horse Heaven Hills

Question 11

What are the AVA’s within Yakima Valley AVA?

Answer 11

Snipes Mountain
Rattlesnake Hills
Red Mountain

Question 12

What is the warmest and most densely planted AVA?

Answer 12

Red Mountain AVA

Question 13

Walla Walla Valley increased vine plantings by how much?

Answer 13

450 acres to over 1,600 in the first decade of the 21st century—it is now closer to 3,000 acres

Question 14

What are Walla Walla Valley’s most acclaimed varietals?

Answer 14

Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah

Question 15

What % of plantings in Walla Walla are CS, Merlot and Syrah?

Answer 15

80%

Question 16

What are the soils in Walla Walla Valley AVA?

Answer 16

Basalt bedrock and thin alluvial topsoil deposited by the Missoula Floods. Loess is everywhere.

Question 17

What was the AVA established in 2015?

Answer 17

Milton-Freewater AVA

Question 18

Where is the Milton-Freewaser AVA located?

Answer 18

Entirely in Oregon

Question 19

What are the Rocks of Milton-Freewater?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

How many bonded wineries are there in WA State?

Answer 20

650

Question 21

What are the most planted white grapes?

Answer 21

Chardonnay and Riesling

Question 22

In what year did red grapes planted surpass white?

Answer 22

2010 - in total acerage

Question 23

What are the other important commercial grapes planted in Washington Sate?

Answer 23

Syrah
Gewürztraminer
Sémillon
Sauvignon Blanc
Cabernet Franc