В штате Вашингтон официально создан новый винодельческий регион Columbia Hills

Columbia Hills is Washington’s new American Viticultural Area Published 12:00 pm Monday, August 24, 2026 Region has southern slopes, proximity to Columbia River, low elevations and shallow soils Columbia Hills is Washington’s newest and 22nd American Viticultural Area. On Aug. 17, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau published the final rule to officially define the Columbia Hills AVA as a designated winegrape growing region. Columbia Hills is located in south-central Washington between the Columbia Gorge AVA to the west and the Burn of Columbia Valley AVA to the east. It is a nested AVA, wholly contained within the sprawling Columbia Valley AVA, which crosses into Oregon. Defining characteristics for the Columbia Hills AVA include southern slopes, proximity to the Columbia River, lower elevations and shallow soils. At 29,387 acres, the Columbia Hills AVA is relatively small and home to only about 300 acres of winegrapes, according to a news release from the Washington State Wine Commission. New AVA named for 35-mile ridgeline The new appellation gets its name from a 35-mile ridgeline that parallels the north side of the Columbia River, which serves as the AVA’s southern boundary. Its northern boundary is the 1,050 elevation line. “It is a very scenic area that features vineyards perched above the river on flood-eroded terraces,” said Kevin Pogue, a Whitman College geology professor who wrote the AVA petition for Columbia Hills. The soils are composed of thin wind-deposited silt and sand that overlies flood-eroded basalt bedrock, Pogue said, in a news release. “Our region is made up of small, intimate, microclimate terroirs defined by their closeness to the water,” said Robert Lorkowski, owner of Cascade Cliffs Vineyard and Winery, located within the appellation. Starting Sept. 16, wineries may submit a certificate of label approval request to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for a label using the Columbia Hills AVA as the appellation of origin.