产区详情

Yakima Valley is a wine-producing area (see AVA) within the boundaries of the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington. More than a third of the state's grape vines are planted in Yakima Valley, which produces a huge range of varieties, with Chardonnay as number one. The valley's Bordeaux Blends show elegance and finesse, its Syrah displays red-berry flavors and plenty of pepper, and its Riesling is the dark horse of the region, producing wines with complex flavors in a range of styles.

The AVA's boundaries follow the valley of the Yakima River for 60 miles (100km) from the Union Gap just south of the city of Yakima to the river's convergence with the larger Columbia River. The Rattlesnake Hills mark the northern boundary of the AVA, and the Horse Heaven Hills (home to the separate Horse Heaven Hills AVA) run along the southern edge of the zone. The Cascade Mountains, where the Yakima River rises, can be found to the west of the region.

Yakima Valley has a long history of grape-growing with the first vineyards planted in the 1860s by French settlers. The industry here steadily grew throughout the 20th Century, and in the 1930s, a viticultural research center was set up near Prosser by Dr. Walter Clore to explore the suitability of Washington's terroir for Vitis vinifera grape varieties. This research formed the basis of the Washington wine industry, leading to a huge boom in plantings in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1983, Yakima Valley became the first appellation in the state to be granted AVA status. 

Overall, Yakima has the coolest climate in the Columbia Valley, and its location in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains means that it is also very dry. The valley's northern latitude of 46°N means it has longer sunshine hours than California's North Coast and up to 300 days of sunshine each year of which aids ripening in the cooler climate associated with this latitude. Much-colder nights during the growing season help to retain acidity in the grapes, and the wines of Yakima Valley are well balanced as a result. Having said this, there is a huge diversity of mesoclimates within the AVA suitable for a wide range of grape varieties.

The landscape of Yakima Valley is the result of ancient volcanoes and the catastrophic Missoula floods that swept through the region in the last Ice Age, depositing material from the surrounding landscapes. Basalt bedrock overlaid with alluvial silt, gravel and wind-blown loess has proved useful for viticulture, particularly on the valley's slopes. Free-draining and low in organic matter, the soils stress the vines, lessening vigor and yield, which contributes to the concentration and tannin structure that Yakima Valley wines are known for.

Yakima Valley AVA contains four sub-AVAs: Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills, Candy Mountain and Snipes Mountain.

It is not only grapes that thrive here; fruit orchards are abundant and the region is also responsible for nearly 80 percent of United States hop production.