The Columbia Gorge AVA is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

which includes land surrounding the Columbia River Gorge, straddling the border between Oregon and Washington. Due to the significant gradations of climate and geography found in the gorge, this AVA exhibits a wide range of terroir in a relatively small region; it is marketed as a "world of wine in 40 miles".

Description

The Columbia Gorge AVA consists of four counties; Hood River and

Wasco Wasco is the name of four places in the United States: Places United States * Wasco, California, a city in California ** Wasco State Prison, located in Wasco, California * Wasco, Illinois, a former hamlet (unincorporated town) in Illinois, now pa ...

counties in Oregon, and Skamania and Klickitat counties in Washington. The region stretches from Hood River, Oregon and

Underwood, Washington Underwood is an unincorporated community within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area along the Columbia River in Skamania County, Washington, United States. History The community's moniker comes from Amos Underwood, a pioneer settler. A ...

in the west, to

Rowena, Oregon Rowena is an unincorporated community in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rowena as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely cor ...

and

Lyle, Washington Lyle is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. The population was 499 at the 2010 census. History Established around 1859, the community was originally called "Klickitat L ...

in the east. It includes the river valleys of the Hood River and

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: *Deschutes River (Oregon) The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...

in Oregon, and the Klickitat River and

White Salmon River The White Salmon River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Originating on the slopes of Mount Adams, it flows into the Columbia Gorge near the community of Underwood. Parts of the river have been designated Wi ...

in Washington. As this region lies to the east of the summits of nearby

Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...

and Mount Adams, it is in

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...

of these Cascade volcanoes. The region is significantly drier than the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

metropolitan area to the west. Annual precipitation ranges from at the western end of the range, to only in the eastern part. Elevation in the region varies considerably, increasing as one travels from the Columbia River into the plateaus on either side, and the strong Columbia Gorge winds also play a factor in the region's climate. This allows a wide variety of grapes to be grown in the Columbia Gorge. The region has nearly 40 vineyards, growing a wide variety of grapes, including

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

, Gewürztraminer,

Zinfandel Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

, Pinot gris, Riesling, and Sangiovese.

References

External links

Columbia Gorge Winegrowers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbia Gorge Ava American Viticultural Areas Geography of Hood River County, Oregon Geography of Klickitat County, Washington Oregon wine Geography of Skamania County, Washington Geography of Wasco County, Oregon Washington (state) wine 2004 establishments in Oregon 2004 establishments in Washington (state)