Appellation · United States
Yakima Valley
Washington’s first AVA and its largest planted area, containing several more specific sub-appellations.
A wide range: firm, dark Cabernet and Merlot, peppery Syrah, and crisp Riesling and Chardonnay.
About Yakima Valley
The Yakima Valley was Washington’s first AVA, granted in 1983, and holds a large share of the state’s vineyard.
It is cooler than Walla Walla and grows a wider range of varieties, including a significant quantity of Riesling and Chardonnay alongside the reds.
Three sub-AVAs sit within it, of which Red Mountain is by far the most significant.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Yakima Valley AVA
- Type
- American Viticultural Area (AVA)
- Set by
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
- Recognised
- 1983
- Regulates
- Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.
Only where the grapes were grown, plus the percentage that must come from the named area. An AVA sets no varietal, yield, ageing or winemaking rules whatsoever — the single most commonly misunderstood fact about US wine labels.
Washington’s first AVA. Contains the Red Mountain, Rattlesnake Hills and Snipes Mountain sub-AVAs.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Washington Cabernet Sauvignon
Serve at 16–18°C (cool room temperature).
Try with roast chicken, fillet steak or grilled chicken.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Red Mountain — Washington’s smallest and hottest AVA — a south-west-facing slope producing the state’s most tannic Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Walla Walla Valley — Washington’s most celebrated sub-AVA, straddling the Oregon border, with a famous stony sub-district called The Rocks.
- Horse Heaven Hills — South-facing slopes above the Columbia River, warmed and wind-scoured, and a major source of Washington’s best-known vineyards.
Sources
Sources consulted
- American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), US Department of the Treasury
- Washington State Wine Commission — Washington State Wine Commission