The Columbia Valley AVA was established in 1984 and it lies in the Columbia River Plateau, through most of central and southern Washington State and a small area crossing into Oregon. It is the largest wine region in the state of Washington, where over 17,000 acres of its total 11,000,000 acres are planted in vineyards. In fact, 99% of the total vineyard area planted in Washington is in the Columbia Valley AVA. The Varietals grown here include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Concord  Grapes, Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Many of the wines produced here are fruit forward in nature, similar to wines produced in California. Many of the wines have also been compared to European wines due to their balance and structure.

Within this very large AVA, there are six smaller AVA’s which include Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Rattlesnake Hills AVA, Red Mountain AVA, Wahluke Slope AVA, Walla Walla Valley AVA, Lake Chelan, Snipes Mountain and Yakima Valley AVA.  Each of these smaller AVA’s have unique growing areas with special distinction within the Columbia Valley AVA. There are also eight other wine regions within the Columbia Valley AVA, all of which have not yet been granted AVA status. These include Leavenworth, Othello, Adams County, Kennewick, Pasco and Richland.  Although the Columbia Valley AVA is vast in size and it has many sub-appellations, as a whole, this region shares the climate traits of cold winters and long dry growing seasons with very low humidity. This consistent climate trait gives Washington wines their balance in flavors.