Pacific Northwest Flashcards
What were the Missoula Floods? What geological effect did they have on the eastern Washington vineyards?
A catastrophic cycle of massive floods that occurred repeatedly at the end of the last ice age, some 12,000 to 18,000 years ago. Vineyards in eastern Washington are thus generally planted on sandy or silty loam soils derived from the flood-borne sediments.
What is the largest AVA in Washington state? How much land does it cover?
Columbia Valley AVA is the largest appellation in the state, covering 11 million acres—over one-quarter of Washington’s landmass.
What was Washington’s first approved AVA?
Yakima Valley was approved as Washington’s first AVA in 1983.
What are the three nested AVAs of Yakima Valley?
Snipes Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills, and Red Mountain
What is Washington’s warmest growing region and its smallest and most densely planted AVA?
Red Mountain AVA
What style of wine has Red Mountain AVA developed a reputation for?
It has developed a reputation for noteworthy, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon.
What is the soil type of Walla Walla Valley AVA?
Soils consists of basalt bedrock and thin alluvial topsoil deposited by the Missoula Floods. Loess is everywhere.
Where is the Rocks of Milton-Freewater located? When did it officially receive AVA status?
Located entirely in Oregon, it received its own AVA status in early 2015.
What is the soil type in the Rocks of Milton-Freewater? What style of wine does it lend itself nicely to?
It features a topsoil of basalt cobblestones that draws comparisons to the galets of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It has incredible potential for Rhône-style wines.
What is Washinton’s two most planted varieties?
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Where is Jory soil most commonly found in Oregon?
Jory (a well-drained volcanic origin soil) is common in the “red hills” of the Dundee Hills AVA. Gives a more elegant style.
Where is Willakenzie soil most commonly found and what type of soil is it?
Willakenzie is a marine sedimentary soil, which is prominent on the valley’s westernmost slopes, such as in Ribbon Ridge. Gives a denser style of wine and darker fruit.
What is the Van Duzer Corridor? Which AVAs does it impact the most and what style of wine does it warrant?
A gap in the Coastal Mountains that separates the valley from the ocean, directly impact McMinnville and the Eola-Amity Hills, generating more tannic styles of Pinot Noir.
What is the warmest and driest growing region west of the Cascades in Oregon?
Applegate Valley AVA
Why is rainfall so scarce in eastern Washington?
As Pacific air hits the Cascade Range it is pushed upward, cooled, and condensed into clouds, which quickly unleash their moisture as precipitation. Thus, the western slopes of the Cascades receive over 80 inches of rainfall annually, yet 50 miles to the east the climate is suddenly desert-like.
