Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.
The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!īecause of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley-which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area.
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