Washington AVAs: The End For Now

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

As the time ticks down to my adventure at the Wine Blogger’s Conference in Walla Walla, I have finally come to the end of my exploration of Washington State’s appellations. Puget Sound.

I have visited this area before nearly 16 years ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to enjoy any wine… or seafood or walking through the Pike Street Market as I was pregnant and the smell of fish in a quantity over two fillets made me violently ill.  Yes, the Puget Sound AVA includes beautiful Seattle and the less lovely Tacoma (where I visited a closed-down copper smelting operation and tracked down abandonned slag at Fort Defiance.. do I know how to party or what?). Even back in 1994 when I visited the area there were wineries in the area, scattered on the many islands that are found in Commencement Bay, but the AVA itself wasn’t designated until the following year.

The history of vineyards in the Puget Sound goes back to 1872 when a Civil War veteran named Lambert Evans planted vines on Stretch Island.  The region has huge variations in its rainfall amounts ranging from 15-60 inches.  However, the  majority of this precipitation falls during the cold season and summers are generally warm and dry.  The AVA surrounds the Sound and snakes along the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula to Port Angeles.  There are only about 100 acres under cultivation and the varietals are often cold weather acclimated options such as Muller-Thurgau, Siegerrebe and Madeleine Angevine.  More traditional wine types are also being produced in the region but most of those wines are being made from grapes grown further east.

Unfortunately for me, I will not be able to revisit Puget Sound on this trip as it is off my beaten track.  But obviously, I would go back and visit Seattle and see how that smelter plant property has been reconditioned (it was pretty dirty in the old days).  I would also go back and drive through the Olympic Mountains which were beautiful and I would definitely go one of the whale watching cruises.  I couldn’t do that before as the boat probably would have smelled of fish and being pregnant before put me on the list of people who wasn’t allowed on the boat. (Party poopers)  An added tourist option has opened up in the area.  The town of Forks, home of Twilight is not far from Port Angeles ( in fact I think Bella goes shopping there in the first book or movie in my case).

This brings to a close, my exploration of Washington AVAs.  At least until Ancient Lakes or Mid Columbia River are designated.  Until then, I will just have to concentrate on the things that I will learn in Walla Walla at the Wine Blogger’s Conference.

This entry was posted on May 19, 2010 at 12:07 am and is filed under AVA, Madeleine Angevine, Muller-Thurgau, Puget Sound, Siegerrebe, Stephen T Colbert Memorial Better Know an AVA, wine, Wine Bloggers Convention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.